KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 60 passengers and crew of a ferry operating the route between Malaysia's northern resort island of Langkawi island and mainland Kedah state were rescued by the Malaysian coast guard on Tuesday after the ferry caught fire.
In a statement, the Malaysian coast guard said the Dragon Star 1, carrying 52 passengers and six crew, was heading to the mainland from Langkawi, caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.
"The Langkawi maritime operations center received a distress call and coordinated the rescue effort along with the marine police, marine department, navy and civil defense force," the statement said.
All passengers and crew were rescued and placed on two other passenger boats, which were near the scene of the incident, before being sent to the Langkawi island.
The statement added that the fire had been extinguished and the cause was still being investigated.
