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Dozens dead, many missing as ferry sinks
Thank God, I am alive: A ferry survivor floats in the sea before being rescued off Karimun Island on Sunday
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Thank God, I am alive: A ferry survivor floats in the sea before being rescued off Karimun Island on Sunday. AP
At least 26 people were killed and 232 rescued when an allegedly overloaded ferry capsized off Riau Islands province on Sunday, search and rescue officials said.
However, the number of missing passengers remains unknown as the search mission was called off at nightfall.
Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Pudji Hartanto put the number of passengers at 292, much more than the ship’s maximum capacity of 268.
“The number of passengers was more than capacity. We will investigate this violation,” he said.
The ship’s manifest showed only 213 people were on board the Dumai Express 10, but many passengers, including children, were not listed in the manifest, according to rescuers.
“The search operations will continue for the next seven days, because survivors have reported many people still missing after the accident,” secretary of the Riau Islands disaster management coordinating task force Naharuddin said.
The ferry left Beton Sekupang port in Batam at around 7:45 a.m. enroute to Dumai, and sank at around 9:15 a.m. after being hit by huge waves.
At the time of the accident waves were between two and four meters high in Riau Islands’ waters, according to meteorologists.
Kaharuddin, who is also head of the Riau Islands transportation office, said some of the dead passengers were taken to the public hospital in Karimun regency, while others were still aboard rescue boats.
However, reports have been mixed.
Tanjung Balai Karimun naval base commander Lt. Col. Erwin said at least 27 passengers were killed in the accident and as many as 250 others were rescued.
He said the ship capsized after strong waves shattered its bow section, leaving many passengers on its lower decks trapped inside.
“Most of the passengers were rescued by passing boats that came to the site of the accident. The sea-lane traffic was quite busy,” Erwin added.
The Beton Sekupang Port was packed with passengers’ family members, anxious to know the fate of loved ones.
Many of them were shocked after learning their family members were not listed in the manifest.
Rosida, 24, said she panicked when she found out her 50-year old mother Nurli Saragih was not on the ship’s manifest.
“This morning I accompanied my mother to seat No. 213, but she was not included in the passenger list. Why?” Rosida said.
Similar accounts were voiced by other relatives of the ill-fated passengers, including Rahman, 28, who was looking for his younger sister Nurlela, 23.
In two separate accidents Sunday, both the Dumai Express 5 and the KM Marina Baru, carrying hundreds of passengers, ran aground on their way from Batam to Moro Island amid strong waves.
Ferry accidents have killed hundreds of people in recent years across Indonesia. Boats are often overcrowded and safety regulations are poorly enforced.
In January, some 230 people went missing after their ferry capsized in a cyclone off the coast of western Sulawesi. In December 2006, a crowded boat broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400 people.
