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At least eight dead in Tarakan boat accident
At least eight people including a toddler died and two German tourists were among those rescued after a speedboat capsized off the coast of North Kalimantan Tuesday.
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A number of fishermen on their boat operates in Sawu Sea in East Nusa Tenggara. (Antara/File)
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t least eight people including a toddler died and two German tourists were among those rescued after a speedboat capsized off the coast of North Kalimantan Tuesday.
Witnesses described passengers jumping into the water without life vests as the boat -- carrying 51 people -- capsized outside a busy Indonesian port, while others on board are feared to be trapped inside the boat, rescue officials said.
"The boat had only been sailing for about 10 minutes when it was hit by a wave. It started to tilt and capsized, when it was still very close to the port" said Octavianto, spokesman of the local search and rescue agency, who like many Indonesians go by one name.
Eight people including a two-year-old child have been found dead, while 22 other people -- including a German man and woman -- were rescued alive and taken to hospital for treatment, he said.
Navy personnel have been dispatched to search for the remaining passengers, said Octavianto. However, passenger manifests in the region often do not record all of those on board.
The accident occurred as the boat left Tarakan in North Kalimantan province Tuesday morning to Tanjung Selor.
"Witnesses said the sea was quiet when the boat capsized so I don’t think the accident was due to rough seas," said Octavianto.
"However the port was very busy and the boat traffic was quite high at that time, which may have triggered the waves."
