JAKARTA, July 24 (Reuters) – Indonesian authorities had been trying to find lacking passengers on Monday after a ferry sank off the island of Sulawesi, killing at the very least 15 individuals, the nationwide search and rescue company stated.
Of 40 passengers on board, 19 are nonetheless lacking, whereas six survived, the company stated in an announcement. The reason for the sinking, which occurred round midnight, was nonetheless unclear.
“All victims have been recognized and handed over to households whereas survivors are presently being handled in native hospitals,” stated Muhamad Arafah of the native department of the search and rescue company.
Photographs shared by the aid company confirmed the our bodies of the victims coated in material on the ground of the native hospital.
The ship was ferrying individuals throughout a bay on Muna Island, about 200 km (124 miles) south of Kendari, the capital of the southeast province of Sulawesi.
Ferries are a standard mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of greater than 17,000 islands, and accidents are frequent as lax security requirements usually enable ships to be overloaded with out enough lifesaving gear.
Reporting by Ananda Teresia, Gayatri Suroyo; Modifying by Kanupriya Kapoor, XX
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