Thick smoke rises from the engine room of the express boat travelling from Sibu to Daro.
SIBU: Twenty-seven passengers suffered a scare when the express boat they were travelling on caught fire at noon yesterday while heading to Daro.
All the passengers managed to get onto the river bank after the skipper berthed the express boat for them to make an emergency exit.
The incident occurred near the coastal town of Daro at Sungai Singai, a branch of the Lassa river, when passengers saw smoke coming out of the engine room.
The fire was extinguished by the crew of the boat using water from the river.
The state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) confirmed receiving a report of the incident and will investigate the cause of the fire.