News

Search on for ferry disaster survivors

254 rescued so far, but 21 others missing

November 23, 2009 Edition 3

ALI KOTARUMALOS Jakarta, Indonesia

Rescuers returned to choppy waters off Indonesia's Sumatra island this morning to search for 21 passengers still missing after a ferry sank in a storm.

Officials say 254 survivors were pulled from the sea and at least 29 other people drowned.

The Dumai Express 10 was hit by towering waves last night and sank 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.

The captain of the ferry blamed a freak storm for the disaster, despite suspicions the craft was overloaded.

As the search for survivors from the Dumai Express resumed off Karimun island, near Singapore, captain Johan Napitupulu said he had no warning that he was sailing into a massive storm when he left Batam earlier yesterday.

"The weather was fine when we left Batam port. There was no sign of rain and we did not get any warning from anybody saying the weather could turn bad at sea," he said.

"About half an hour later, the weather suddenly turned really, really bad. The waves were higher than 2m, the winds and currents were strong."

He denied that the vessel had been overloaded or unfit to sail and said the crew had done all it could to arrange life boats and jackets for the terrified passengers.

"The waves could have struck the front part of the ferry and caused it to crack, and water had got in.

"The ferry was sinking fast, front first. Within 27 minutes it was totally submerged. We told the passengers to put on life jackets and we launched four light craft, each with a capacity of 65 people.

"There was panic, everyone was screaming."

He said some fit male passengers were told to swim until help arrived.

Fishing boats, police patrols and navy warships set out in lashing rain at first light this morning in search of 21 people reported missing, said Lieutenant Colonel Edwin, a navy officer heading the mission.

Like many Indonesians, he uses one name.

"The bad weather and 4m- high waves are still hampering the search and rescue," Edwin said, adding that 254 people had survived.

"We will keep looking."

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.

In December 2006, a crowded ferry broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400 people. - Sapa-AFP