A ferry with 1,230 Egyptians on board caught fire on Thursday shortly after setting sail from the Jordanian port of Aqaba, Egyptian maritime sources said.

The vessel, which was headed for the Egyptian port of Nuweiba, was some 15 nautical miles off Aqaba when the blaze erupted, the sources said.

Passengers were ordered to take to life rafts, and a tug and a second ferry were disaptched from Nuweiba to join the rescue, they added.