Click photo to enlarge
A sinking ferry survivor is seen floating on the sea before
being rescued off Karimun island, Indonesia on Sunday,
November 22, 2009. Photo by AP.
Rescuers returned to choppy waters off Indonesia's
Sumatra island to search for a dozen passengers still missing
after a ferry sank in a storm. Officials say 245 survivors were
pulled from the sea and at least 29 others drowned.
The Dumai Express 10 sank on Sunday in stormy weather about
90 minutes into an inter-island trip from Batam to Dumai in
Riau, a province off Sumatra island in western Indonesia. A
second ferry ran aground nearby, but all its passengers were
said to be safe.
Fishing boats and police patrols set out in lashing rain at
first light Monday in search of 12 people reported missing,
said local police chief Lt Col Anggaria Lopes.
Indonesian ferry accidents have killed hundreds of people in
recent years. Boats are often overcrowded, and safety
regulations are poorly enforced. The vast country spans more
than 17,000 islands, and boats are a popular and relatively
cheap form of transportation.
The stricken ferry went down about 30 minutes after huge
waves damaged its bow and water started seeping in, according
to a report from the ship's captain, said Lt Col Edwin, the
local navy chief.
A survivor, who only gave his name as Riki, said he escaped
from the ship by breaking a window and was rescued by
fishermen, the official news agency Antara reported.
"It was too fast ... and the ship crew did not tell us about
the situation at all," he said. "We only managed to get out
after I broke the glass window on the right side. That was
the only way because there were many people jostling for the
doors."
He said he saw some passengers jump into the sea without life
jackets. Passing boats picked up scores of people took them
to nearby islands for medical treatment.
Local television news showed two survivors, wearing life
jackets, floating on the water.
High waves hampered the rescue operation, which had recovered
29 bodies by Sunday night, including two children, said
Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's crisis
center. He said at least 17 others were believed to be
missing and about 245 survivors were plucked from the waters.
Police and navy officials said the ferry manifest listed 228
passengers, including 15 children, and in addition, there
were 13 crew, but the number of people accounted for already
has surpassed that.
Manifests are generally unreliable because tickets are sold
onboard to passengers who are never registered.
Indonesia has suffered several major ferry accidents in
recent years.
In December 2006, a crowded ferry broke apart and sank in the
Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400
people.
