At least six people including two children were killed early Thursday morning when an Indonesian ferry with estimated passengers of 350 on board caught fire off Jakarta, according to a navy spokesman.

 

Over 20 passengers have been rescued, Navy spokesman Col. Hendra Pakan said, adding that the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

 

Five navy warships and two aircraft were dispatched to help with evacuation efforts, the spokesman said.

 

The ferry was carrying hundreds of passengers from the capital, Jakarta, to Bangka Island near Sumatra when the blaze started, he said.

 

The national search and rescue team reportedly has deployed evacuation plane to the scene, according to Metro TV news.

 

The incident took place only two months after another ferry sank off Central Java, leaving some 300 people dead or missing.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2007)