Relatives of missing passengers of KM Sinar Bangun boat (Source: AP) Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian rescue workers fought heavyrains and 2m waves in a search for survivors after a boat with at least 80passengers on board sank in Lake Toba, a popular tourist destination in NorthSumatra.
An estimated 18 people had been rescued and one passenger wasconfirmed dead after the boat sank on June 18. There remain 49 others stillmissing based on information provided by their relatives.
About 100 rescue personnel, including military and police officers,were deployed in the search.
Spokesperson of the National Disaster MitigationAgency of Indonesia Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that the KM Sinar Bangun boatsank at about 5:30 p.m when it was sailing from Samosir, a volcanic island inthe middle of Lake Toba, to Parapat town.
Initial estimates were that 80 people were onboard but the real number may range from 70 to 130 as there was no passengermanifest.
It was not immediately clear if foreigners were among themissing passengers.
Most of the passengers areholidaymakers enjoying the country's 12-day-long Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The 3,000-square-kilometre lake, which is the largest volcanic lake in theworld, is a popular spot for local and international tourists.
Boat and ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, anarchipelago of more than 17,000 islands.-VNA
VNA
