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7 dead after Indonesian ferry fire; more than 100 missing

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Rescue boats and airplanes searched for survivors north of Jakarta after an Indonesian ferry with 350 passengers onboard caught fire, killing at least seven people, an Indonesian navy spokesman said.

Two children were among the dead. More than 100 people remain unaccounted for.

"The Levina 1 boat was traveling from Jakarta to Bangka Island when it caught fire soon after dawn about 50 miles away from the port of Jakarta," said 1st Adm. Slamet Yuliseiono.

Combined navy and civilian efforts, including five boats and two airplanes, have rescued 226 people, he said.

The cause of the fire is not known.

The country has been hit by a string of transportation disasters in recent months, including the sinking of another ferry with nearly 640 passengers on December 29. At least 400 are still missing. (Full story)

That disaster was followed by the disappearance on New Year's Day of a Boeing 737-400 operated by budget airline Adam Air with 102 people on board. The plane is believed to have crashed into the sea off western Sulawesi in bad weather.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has set up a task force to examine the country's transportation system, the Reuters news service reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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