Indonesia: 23 killed after ferry catches fire near Jakarta

23 people were killed on Sunday after a fire ripped through a boat carrying 100 people to islands north of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, authorities said.

Along with the fatalities, 17 people were also injured, said Ferry Budiharso, a spokesman for the Thousand Island police, the area where the boat was heading. 

The boat, Zahro Express, caught fire shortly after leaving Muara Angke port in North Jakarta early on Sunday due to a short circuit on a power generator on the boat, Budiharso said.    

Sea accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago, with vessels often overloaded and having too few life jackets on boat.