1 killed, 172 evacuated after Indonesia's ferry catches fire

JAKARTA -- One person was killed and 172 others evacuated after a passenger ferry caught fire in waters off Lombok island, Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province, on Wednesday morning, local authorities said.

Muhammad Hariyadi, the head of the local rescue agency, said the ferry, the Putri Yasmin, was sailing from Bali to the adjacent island of Lombok when the fire broke out.

Of the survivors, one was Australian and the rest were Indonesian. They were evacuated to ports in Bali and Lombok using several vessels, Hariyadi said.

More than 200 personnel were deployed to support the evacuation operation, while the search for possible missing passengers continued, Hariyadi added.

The number of people on board is still being verified, as the manifest listed 114 passengers and 17 crew members, while the cause of the fire remains unknown.