Overloaded Indonesian ferry sinks; 4 dead, most survive
JAKARTA - An overloaded ferry sank in bad weather off Indonesia's Riau islands on Sunday, killing four while nearly 300 passengers survived the accident, officials said.
A transport ministry official told a news conference in Jakarta the ferry, which had the capacity to carry 273 people, had 213 passengers on its manifest. Sunaryo, director general of sea transportation, said 292 people had survived.
"The disparity between the manifest and reality is large, it's such a classic case" of breaking the regulations, said Sunaryo.
"Bad weather is hampering search and rescue efforts. The waves are as high as six metres, it's difficult for small ships to reach the location."
The ferry, the Dumai Express 10, was sailing from Batam near Singapore to Dumai island in Riau when it ran into massive waves, Riau police chief Puji Hartanto told Metro TV.
Survivors were spotted floating at sea, Hartanto said.
Separately, another ferry, the Dumai Express 15 with 278 people on board, ran aground after it was hit by large waves, said Riau police spokesman Yasin Kosasih.
All passengers and crew survived, he added. The ferry was travelling between Batam and Moro island.
Indonesia relies heavily on ferry services to connect the many islands in the sprawling archipelago.
But accidents are common, largely due to years of under-investment in infrastructure and a tendency to overload ferries.
--Reuters
26 dead after ferry sinks in heavy seas off Indonesia's Sumatra island
The death toll from an overloaded ferry that sank in heavy seas off Indonesia's Sumatra island today rose to 26.
Some 250 have been plucked to safety.
Officials said the death toll could rise as the exact number of people
aboard the ferry was unknown and many might have been trapped below
decks.
They said that the ship's capacity was only 273 passengers
They added that an investigation is underway to determine if overloading contributed to the accident.
Report said that the Dumai Express was sailing from Batam island to
Pekanbaru Riau when it went down in high seas off Karimun Island this
morning.
An Indonesian Navy spokesman said the vessel sank after being hit by waves as high as three metres.
Meanwhile,
Singapore's Foreign Ministry says that there are no reports of any
Singaporeans affected by the sinking ferry, as of 5.30pm on Sunday.
The Ministry and Singapore missions in Indonesia are closely monitoring the situation.
Those who require consular assistance may contact the MFA duty office
at +65 6379 8800 or 6379 8855, or at MFA's mission in Batam at +62
778470070 or +62 81213247797.
--938Live