A passenger-and-cargo ferry boat caught fire on the sea at around 3 AM on Monday, when it was traveling from Yantai in east China's Shandong Province to Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

   
The boat named "Baohua" has 698 passengers, 47 crew members and 68 cars aboard, but no casualties were reported by press time.
   
The fire, which broke out in the cars cabin of the boat, has been brought under control while the boat is continuing its journey to Dalian "with a normal order on board," said sources with the maritime rescue center of Liaoning Province, which rushed to the rescue upon receiving the emergency call from the boat.
   
The boat was ablaze when it was some 30 nautical miles away from the Dalian Port, and the cause of the fire was still under investigation, the sources added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2005)