Rescue workers bring victims to a safe place (Photo: Xinhua)Hanoi (VNA) – Rescuers resumed search and rescue operations on July 4 after a ferrysank a day earlier in waters off the coast of central Indonesia.
To date, 29bodies have been recovered, while 41 people are still missing, according toofficials.
Ferry KMP LestariMaju, heading to Selayar Island, went down at 2:30 pm (local time) in thewaters of Selayar of South Sulawesi province, just 300m away from a seaport.
The searchcontinued in more favourable weather conditions. A navy ship and diving boatwere deployed along with personnel from the search and rescue office.
A total of 98people have been rescued from the ship, said officials. Bodies of several victimsmay be trapped inside cars which were loaded on the vessel.
The incidentoccurred only a couple of weeks after a boat sank in Lake Toba of Indonesia’sSumatra province that claimed three lives and left 164 others missing. Only 21passengers were rescued.
The boat wascarrying five times more passengers than its capacity, along with dozens ofmotorcycles, officials said.
The accident wassaid to be one of the worst waterway tragedies in Indonesia, where ferryaccidents are common as the country is an archipelago of more than 17,000islands.
The most severewater accident in Indonesia occurred in 2009. More than 300 people were killed whena ferry capsized travelling from Sulawesi to Borneo island.-VNA
