The worst is, if there would be anything more worse, is that no one knows how many passengers are on these ferries when they capsize.
250 feared dead as Indonesian ferry capsizes
By IRWAN FIRDAUS The Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A ferry capsized in a severe storm in central Indonesia on Sunday and officials said around 250 people were feared dead.
Eighteen survivors were rescued by fishing boats, but the fate of the others remained unclear, said Taufik, a port official at Parepare on the island of Sulawesi, where the ferry began its journey. Taufik uses one name, as is common in Indonesia.
About 250 passengers and 17 crew are believed to have been on board the ferry when it went down 50 kilometres off the coast off western Sulawesi.
Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal said the captain — who was among those pulled alive from the sea — reported that 150 people jumped off the boat before it sank, but he did not know what happened to them.
``We have prepared a search and rescue operation, but now there are high waves hampering the process,'' Djamal said.
The Teratai Prima sank en route from the western port of Parepare on the island of Sulawesi to Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on the Indonesian half of Borneo.
The ship radioed that it was ``hit by a storm'' before it went down, said Nurwahida, a port official.
Eighteen passengers and crew were saved by fishermen who found them drifting on three life rafts, Taufik said, citing a survivor's account.
The closest town to the accident site is Majene, 1,370 kilometres northeast of capital, Jakarta.
Boats are a major form of transportation in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and a population of 235 million. Poor enforcement of safety regulations and overcrowding causes accidents that claim hundreds of lives each year.
In December 2006, a crowded Indonesian ferry broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400 people.
The ship radioed that it was ``hit by a storm'' before it went down, said Nurwahida, a port official.
Eighteen passengers and crew were saved by fishermen who found them drifting on three life rafts, Taufik said, citing a survivor's account.
The closest town to the accident site is Majene, 1,370 kilometres northeast of capital, Jakarta.
Boats are a major form of transportation in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and a population of 235 million. Poor enforcement of safety regulations and overcrowding causes accidents that claim hundreds of lives each year.
In December 2006, a crowded Indonesian ferry broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400 people.
Taking a Ferry in Indonesia is Like Russian Roulette!
Re: Taking a Ferry in Indonesia is Like Russian Roulette!
Funny Thing... I was in Indonesia when this happened, I remember wasting it on the news in the Hotel room waiting to join a Canadain Boat there.
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JK
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Re: Taking a Ferry in Indonesia is Like Russian Roulette!
Welcome to the forum, SkyHawk.
We welcome your postings.
We welcome your postings.
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JK
- Enduring Contributor
- Posts: 3066
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:29 am
- Currently located: East Coast, Canada
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Re: Taking a Ferry in Indonesia is Like Russian Roulette!
and another one:
Note, that once again no one is entirely sure how many were on the ferry.
Hundreds saved on Indonesia ferry
At least 23 people are now reported to have died after a ferry sank off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
But more than 200 others were rescued from the sea after the accident, which happened early on Sunday.
Officials blamed the incident on bad weather and high waves. They say some people are missing but it is not clear how many.
Some reports suggested that the ferry, which had a capacity of 273 people, may have been overloaded when it sank.
'Traumatised'
According to its manifest, about 240 people were on board the Dumai Express 10 ferry when it sailed, but it is not clear if this was accurate.
Indonesia's sea transport director-general, Sunaryo, said rescue efforts were being hampered by bad weather.
"The waves are as high as six metres, it's difficult for small ships to reach the location," he told a news conference in Jakarta.
Search efforts have now ceased for the night but officials say they will resume in the morning.
The Dumai Express 10 was travelling from Batam island to Dumai in Riau, Sumatra, when it sank.
Officials said it rolled over before capsizing about 90 minutes into its voyage.
Rescue efforts were aided by the fact that the ferry went down in the busy Malacca Straits between Indonesia and Malaysia.
RECENT MARITIME DISASTERS
# 11 Jan 2009 : At least 232 people - possibly many more - die as ferry sinks off Sulawesi
# 11 July 2007 : Passenger ship with 70 on board sinks off eastern Indonesia
# 22 Feb 2007 : At least 42 die as ferry catches fire
# 30 Dec 2006 : More than 400 lost as ferry sinks between Borneo and Java
# 7 July 2005 : About 200 die as ferry sinks off eastern Indonesia
It is not clear exactly how many people have been picked up.
The chief of police in Riau told the BBC that 218 had been rescued; earlier other officials gave totals of 292 and 232.
The total number of people on board the vessel remains unknown.
A navy spokesman said it was not clear whether anyone was still inside the ferry, which was now completely submerged.
"We're not sure if anyone is trapped in the ferry. Those who have been rescued are traumatised," Iskandar Sitompul said.
Another ferry, the Dumai Express 15, was reported to have run aground in bad weather as it travelled between Batam and Moro islands.
All 278 passengers and crew on board were said to be safe.
Ferry accidents linked to over-crowding and poor vessel maintenance kill hundreds of passengers in Indonesia each year.
The country's large population is spread out over 17,000 islands and relies on ships and ferries to travel around.
In the last three years, at least 800 people have been killed in ferry accidents in Indonesia.
Note, that once again no one is entirely sure how many were on the ferry.
Hundreds saved on Indonesia ferry
At least 23 people are now reported to have died after a ferry sank off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
But more than 200 others were rescued from the sea after the accident, which happened early on Sunday.
Officials blamed the incident on bad weather and high waves. They say some people are missing but it is not clear how many.
Some reports suggested that the ferry, which had a capacity of 273 people, may have been overloaded when it sank.
'Traumatised'
According to its manifest, about 240 people were on board the Dumai Express 10 ferry when it sailed, but it is not clear if this was accurate.
Indonesia's sea transport director-general, Sunaryo, said rescue efforts were being hampered by bad weather.
"The waves are as high as six metres, it's difficult for small ships to reach the location," he told a news conference in Jakarta.
Search efforts have now ceased for the night but officials say they will resume in the morning.
The Dumai Express 10 was travelling from Batam island to Dumai in Riau, Sumatra, when it sank.
Officials said it rolled over before capsizing about 90 minutes into its voyage.
Rescue efforts were aided by the fact that the ferry went down in the busy Malacca Straits between Indonesia and Malaysia.
RECENT MARITIME DISASTERS
# 11 Jan 2009 : At least 232 people - possibly many more - die as ferry sinks off Sulawesi
# 11 July 2007 : Passenger ship with 70 on board sinks off eastern Indonesia
# 22 Feb 2007 : At least 42 die as ferry catches fire
# 30 Dec 2006 : More than 400 lost as ferry sinks between Borneo and Java
# 7 July 2005 : About 200 die as ferry sinks off eastern Indonesia
It is not clear exactly how many people have been picked up.
The chief of police in Riau told the BBC that 218 had been rescued; earlier other officials gave totals of 292 and 232.
The total number of people on board the vessel remains unknown.
A navy spokesman said it was not clear whether anyone was still inside the ferry, which was now completely submerged.
"We're not sure if anyone is trapped in the ferry. Those who have been rescued are traumatised," Iskandar Sitompul said.
Another ferry, the Dumai Express 15, was reported to have run aground in bad weather as it travelled between Batam and Moro islands.
All 278 passengers and crew on board were said to be safe.
Ferry accidents linked to over-crowding and poor vessel maintenance kill hundreds of passengers in Indonesia each year.
The country's large population is spread out over 17,000 islands and relies on ships and ferries to travel around.
In the last three years, at least 800 people have been killed in ferry accidents in Indonesia.