Article

2009-01-12 Southeast Asia

Scores feared dead in ferry sinking in Indonesia

Nearly 250 people are feared dead in Indonesian waters after a ferry capsized in a severe storm. Eighteen people, including the vessel's captain, were rescued by fishing boats after the ferry sank about 50km off the coast off western Sulawesi at about 4am (20:00 GMT) local time on Sunday, but the fate of the remaining passengers and crew remains unclear.

Jusman Syafi'i Djamal, the transport minister, said there had been a tropical cyclone that caused tides of five or six metres during the sinking and the high waves were hampering rescue operations. Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the ministry, said it was unclear whether passengers had lifejackets on when the ship was hit. "It happened at dawn [so] most people were probably asleep," Ervan said.

The 700-tonne Teratai Prima sank en route from the western port of Parepare on the island of Sulawesi to Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The ship, carrying around 18 tonnes of cargo, had radioed that it was "hit by a storm" before it went down, port officials said.

Sea accidents routinely claim hundreds of lives each year in Indonesia, largely due to poor enforcement of safety regulations and overcrowding. But Ervan said the Teratai Prima, with a capacity of 300 passengers, was not overloaded.

Posted by Steve White 2009-01-12 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

17:02 Melancholic
16:27 Gravilet Snanter4154
16:20 Chaise Speaking for Boskone7897
16:02 Skidmark
16:01 Skidmark
15:46 Skidmark
15:41 Skidmark
15:37 swksvolFF
15:36 Skidmark
15:34 Skidmark
15:27 Skidmark
14:48 NoMoreBS
14:31 NoMoreBS
14:16 NoMoreBS
14:15 NoMoreBS
14:04 swksvolFF
13:47 Regular joe
13:43 swksvolFF
13:38 swksvolFF
13:34 swksvolFF
13:31 Abu Uluque
13:25 Heribertus Vedente
13:24 mossomo
13:20 Abu Uluque