At least eight people were killed and 13 others went missing after a ferry with 48 passengers aboard capsized offshore Borneo island of Indonesia on January 1 (Illustrative photo: EPA/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – At least eight people were killed and 13 others went missing after a ferry with 48 passengers aboard capsized offshore Borneo island of Indonesia on January 1.
Indonesia’s rescue force said that 27 passengers were saved. Navy personnel have been dispatched to search for the remaining passengers, but high waves impeded operations.
The boat sank just minutes after leaving a port in Tanjung Selor for Tarakan in Borneo island. The cause of the incident is being investigated.
It is the latest maritime accident of Indonesia, where waterway is the main form of transportation to travel around its 17,000 islands.
In July 2017, eight people were killed in an accident on the same route from Takaran to Tanjung Selor. Meanwhile, as many as 23 people died when a tourist boat from Jakarta to Tidung island caught fire in the 2017 New Year.-VNA
