At least 29 dead as boat capsizes in Indonesia

Rescue workers bring victims to a safe place (Photo: Xinhua)

Hanoi (VNA) – Rescuers resumed search and rescue operations on July 4 after a ferry sank a day earlier in waters off the coast of central Indonesia.

To date, 29 bodies have been recovered, while 41 people are still missing, according to officials.

Ferry KMP Lestari Maju, heading to Selayar Island, went down at 2:30 pm (local time) in the waters of Selayar of South Sulawesi province, just 300m away from a seaport.

The search continued in more favourable weather conditions. A navy ship and diving boat were deployed along with personnel from the search and rescue office.

A total of 98 people have been rescued from the ship, said officials. Bodies of several victims may be trapped inside cars which were loaded on the vessel.

The incident occurred only a couple of weeks after a boat sank in Lake Toba of Indonesia’s Sumatra province that claimed three lives and left 164 others missing. Only 21 passengers were rescued.

The boat was carrying five times more passengers than its capacity, along with dozens of motorcycles, officials said.

The accident was said to be one of the worst waterway tragedies in Indonesia, where ferry accidents are common as the country is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.

The most severe water accident in Indonesia occurred in 2009. More than 300 people were killed when a ferry capsized travelling from Sulawesi to Borneo island.-VNA