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At least 15 killed, 19 missing in ferry sinking in Sulawesi
Of 40 passengers on board, 19 were still missing, while six survived, the agency said in a statement. The cause of the sinking, which occurred at about midnight, was still unclear.
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This handout photo from the National Rescue Agency (Basarnas) taken and released on July 24, 2023 shows members of a rescue team setting out to conduct search and rescue operations in Buton Tengah, southeast Sulawesi after a ferry sank. (AFP/Handout)
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uthorities were searching for missing passengers on Monday after a ferry sank off Southeast Sulawesi, killing at least 15, the national search and rescue agency said.
Of 40 passengers on board, 19 were still missing, while six survived, the agency said in a statement. The cause of the sinking, which occurred at about midnight, was still unclear.
"All the victims have been identified and handed over to the families while the survivors are now being treated in local hospitals," said Muhamad Arafah from the local branch of the search and rescue agency.
Photos shared by the rescue agency showed victims' bodies covered in cloth on the floor of the local hospital.
The vessel was ferrying people across a bay in Muna island, about 200 km (124 miles) south of Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi province.
One search team will dive around the accident site, while another will search the water's surface using boats, he said.
It shared images of rescuers mobilising for the search effort, and several dead bodies covered by sarongs laid on tarpaulin at a local hospital.
Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.
In 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatra island.
In May last year, a ferry carrying more than 800 people ran aground in shallow waters off East Nusa Tenggara province and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged.
No one was hurt in that accident.
