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Indonesia ferry sinking leaves at least 15 dead
JAKARTA, June 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – At least 15 people have died after a
passenger ferry sank off the Indonesian island of Java, police said Tuesday,
the latest maritime accident to hit the archipelago nation.
The overloaded boat was carrying around 50 people when it overturned Monday
in rough seas near Madura island, East Java Police spokesman Frans Barung
Mangera said.
Search and rescue teams found 13 bodies Tuesday morning, bringing the total
number of dead to 15, with 31 survivors.
Rescuers are searching for at least three people officially listed as still
missing. But local reports have suggested that there could be more victims
not on the official manifest.
“It’s suspected that the boat was overloaded,” Mangera said in a statement.
“The boat was hit by a large wave, overturned and sank.”
The 10-metre (32 foot) long traditional vessel was found by fishermen
shortly after it was swamped, he added.
Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more
than 17,000 islands, where many use ferries and other boats to travel despite
poor safety standards.
More than 160 people died when a passenger ferry sunk into the depths of
one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island last year.
More than 300 people are estimated to have drowned in 2009 when a ferry
sank between the islands of Sulawesi and Borneo.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1042 hrs