Indonesian rescue teams are searching for 28 people still unaccounted for, three days after a passenger ferry caught fire off the coast of Madura island.

The KM Mutiara Sentosa, carrying 271 people, was sailing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, to the city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi when the blaze broke out on Sunday (2 August).

Arman Asmara Syarifuddin, Director of Marine and Air Affairs at East Java Police, said five people had been confirmed dead and 238 had been rescued, leaving 28 still missing.

He said police, the national rescue agency and the Navy had sent seven vessels and a helicopter to join the search, including a small warship, several speedboats and a patrol boat able to carry around 100 people.

Crews say they are concentrating their efforts on a stretch of water reaching around 16 kms (10 miles) east and west of where the fire started. The operation is expected to run for seven days, though it could be extended by a further fortnight if needed.

Officials say the cause of the fire has not yet been established.

Survivors were brought ashore at the Port of Gapura Surya Nusantara in Surabaya on Monday morning, where relatives had been gathering anxiously since the previous evening.

Among them was a woman named Ria, still waiting for word of her missing uncle. She said she had been unable to reach him after hearing about the fire, and had turned to his wife to confirm he was on board. She said she still had no way of reaching him or learning what had happened to him.

Ferries remain a vital link across Indonesia's roughly 17,000 islands, offering a cheaper and more accessible alternative to flying. But enforcement of safety rules is inconsistent, and maritime accidents occur regularly.

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