At least thirty people are feared dead after an Indonesian ferry, carrying more than 200 people on board, collided with a cargo tanker earlier this week.
The master of the Norgas Cathinka has reported the crew and vessel are safe, but that a number of passengers on the ferry are reported missing.
According to the Indonesian Transportation Ministry, eight people have died as a result of the collision with 208 reported survivors. The ship’s manifest showed a total compliment of 213 passengers and crew, however Indonesia ship manifest records are notoriously inaccurate due to tickets being sold on board and unregistered passengers.
Structural damage to the Norgas Cathinka was reported by the ship’s master, however according to the company’s statement, there has been no ingress of water and the ship is in no danger of sinking. The vessel is carrying a cargo of Propylene.
The following is video showing a few of the survivors being rescued, 10 nearby vessels responded to the distress call.
30 feared dead
Eight people were confirmed dead while 207 others were rescued alive after the KM Bahuga Jaya, sailing from Merak port in West Java to Sumatra Island, collided with the tanker early Wednesday, rescuers said on Friday.
The exact number of people on board is not clear but authorities said the vessel was loaded with several manned vehicles including trucks, cars and motorcycles.
"Based on the accounts by family relatives, about 30 people are still missing," Lampung provincial search and rescue chief Saidar Rahman Jaya was quoted as telling reporters.
Jaya also said that three days of the accident, the possibility of finding any survivor is very low.
About 78 vehicles remained inside the ferry which sank, Jaya said, adding that up to 130 rescuers including navy divers were involved in the operation.
Such accidents are common in Indonesia, where ships and boats have a poor safety record and where the 240-million population is scattered over a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.