Makassar: Up to 10 people were
feared dead after two cargo ships collided in Indonesian
waters, an official and survivors said on Thursday.
The Trisal Pratama, carrying 2,000 tonnes of cement, sank
after it collided with the Indimatam, loaded with scrap metal,
in the Makassar Strait yesterday morning, the official said.
Makassar port chief Afrianus Tapangan said eight crew
members were missing, while survivors said two passengers
including a young child were also unaccounted for.
Ten crew and a passenger were rescued from the sinking
Trisal, Tapangan said.
"Without floating devices and life jackets, I fear that
the missing people could be dead by now," he said.
The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is
heavily dependent on maritime services, but its safety record
is poor and fatal accidents are common.
Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded
ferry sank off Sulawesi island in January last year.
PTI
