Officials in Indonesia say a passenger ship carrying hundreds of people has caught fire at sea off Sulawesi island.

Ferry fire in Indonesia leaves 3 dead, over 560 rescued. A rescue teams and locals were however able to pull passengers from sea as cause still unknown.

The Indonesian ship, the Gregorius Barcelona V, caught fire while sailing in the waters of North Sulawesi - passengers were seen wearing life jackets as they jumped into the ocean to escape

A passenger ferry fire in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi has killed at least three people, with video showing people jumping from the burning ship into the ocean, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

An Indonesian ferry fire killed at least five people on Sunday, the country's coast guard said, while more than 200 others were saved with many jumping overboard to flee the huge blaze.

A passenger ferry carrying 280 people caught fire off the coast of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, forcing passengers to jump into the water.

The fire broke out at the ferry’s stern as it was on its way to Manado. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Indonesian officials said a coast guard ship, six rescue vessels and several inflatable boats were deployed in the rescue operation and the fire was put out within an hour.