Kupang: Rescuers found five
dead bodies on Saturday and were searching for 17 people missing
after a passenger boat sank in eastern Indonesia.
The ferry, called the Karya Terang, went down
yesterday afternoon, during bad weather in East Nusa Tenggara
province.
"We've found five dead bodies, three women and two
men. We're still searching for 17 missing people," Kupang
search and rescue chief Herman Da Gomes said.
Da Gomes said 44 people had survived the accident.
Rescuers had originally said only a dozen people were
missing, but revised the total number of passengers on board
the boat to 66.
"About 50 people, consisting of rescue teams, marine
police, navy members and fishermen, are searching for the
missing people," he said.
Separately, a boat carrying seven people sank in East
Nusa Tenggara province yesterday. Officials said four people
had been rescued but they were still searching for the others.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 18:19