23 Dead, 17 Missing After Indonesian Ferry Catches Fire

A man inspects the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire off the coast of Jakarta, at Muara Angke Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakarta's port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesia’s capital, officials said.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakarta’s port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year’s holiday, according to local media reports.

Seply Madreta, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted around half the ship. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered.

A search involving around 10 ships was underway to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ship left Muara Angke.

Rescuers search for victims from the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire off the coast of Jakarta after it was docked at Muara Angke Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from the port to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. AP Photo/Rhana Ananda