Five killed as boat catches fire off Indonesia's North Maluku

Jakarta: At least five people have been killed and some others are feared dead as a speed boat caught fire in the water off Indonesia's North Maluku province, officials said.

The accident occurred at 1405 local time when the boat with governor candidate Benny Laos and his supporters on board had been anchoring at a seaport in Taliabu regency and filling fuel before continuing a journey for the campaign, said Abdul Muis Uma Ternate, senior official of the local disaster management and mitigation agency, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Five people have been killed, nine others injured and some other people remain inside the boat as they have been trapped," he told Xinhua.

Video footage received by Xinhua showed that the fire engulfed the whole of the boat, those who remained inside the vessel could have been dead. The official could not give more details on the precise number of those who could not escape and the exact number of people on board.

Head of the Logistic Unit of the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency Yusri Abdul Kasim said that an explosion had occurred just before the fire.

All the wounded persons have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, he said.