At least five people have died and another 41 are missing after a ferry caught fire in Indonesia on Sunday morning, authorities have confirmed.

The vessel was carrying a total of 271 passengers and crew members from Indonesia's second-largest city, Surabaya in East Java, across the Java Sea to Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Search and rescue officials said 225 people had been rescued by Sunday afternoon but that an operation was still ongoing.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear.

More to follow ...