Panic gripped passengers on board an Indonesian ferry after it caught fireplace mid-sea close to Southeast Sulawesi on Sunday. The vessel, reportedly carrying practically 300 passengers, was en route from Kendari to Makassar when flames erupted, prompting emergency evacuation efforts.Native authorities stated at the least 18 folks had been injured, many affected by burns and smoke inhalation through the chaos that adopted the hearth outbreak. Happily, no casualties have been reported to date.Movies circulating on social media confirmed terrified passengers leaping into the ocean as thick black smoke engulfed the vessel. Different footage confirmed folks scrambling to put on life jackets, whereas some frantically made cellphone calls.“In response to preliminary info, the hearth is positioned off Talise Island,” stated Jerry Harmonsina, secretary of the North Sulawesi regional catastrophe administration company, in an announcement to native media outlet Detik. The fireplace reportedly broke out on Sunday afternoon.Rescue efforts are underway. Harmonsina confirmed that groups from the Navy, Nationwide Search and Rescue Company, Coast Guard, and even native fishermen are aiding in evacuating passengers from the burning vessel.The precise reason for the hearth stays unclear. Native authorities have but to supply a confirmed rely of passengers rescued.Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, typically depends closely on ferries for inter-island transport, the place security lapses are frequent regardless of repeated warnings.