At least three people lost their lives and around 150 others were rescued after a passenger ship caught fire off the coast of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province on Sunday afternoon, officials confirmed.

The vessel, identified as KM Barcelona 5, was sailing near the waters of Manado, the provincial capital, when it caught fire at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time, according to Dani Repi, head of the Quick Reaction Team at the provincial Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency.

Veri Ariyanto, a senior official from the provincial Search and Rescue Office, stated that swift action by a joint rescue team — assisted by local fishermen — was instrumental in saving lives.

“Three people were killed, and nearly 150 were rescued safely. They were rescued by the joint rescue team and local fishermen’s boats,” Ariyanto said in a statement.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

A large-scale search and rescue operation remains underway, with two search ships, several rigid inflatable boats, and other support vessels deployed to the area. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that more passengers might still be missing.

The incident adds to concerns about maritime safety in the Indonesian archipelago, where ship fires and overloading incidents have been recurrent due to aging fleets and lax enforcement of safety protocols.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and are working to confirm the final number of passengers on board at the time of the incident.

More updates are expected as the rescue efforts continue. (ILKHA)