The wooden boat, which was owned by the firm, sank about 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Jakarta time) on Wednesday when ferrying the employees from a work site to their dormitories in Loa Janan Ilir district in Samarinda.

One of the dead was identified as Nurhayati, 41. Around 50 people were reportedly onboard, although the lack of a manifest has hindered identifying the missing.

Human error was blamed for the accident. '€œPassengers crowded the bow of the boat, fracturing it and leading to it sinking,'€ East Kalimantan Police intelligence unit chief Sr. Comr. Hari Prasojo said on Thursday.

East Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Wahyu Widhi Heranata said that the agency was coordinating with local office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the public order agency.

Strong winds and currents have stymied searchers, according to Wahyu.

Most of the passengers were women, according to reports. While the vessel reportedly was well equipped with life vests, the passengers did not use them after the mishap. (ebf)

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