Ferry disaster claims 11

2005-07-14 15:10

Jakarta - Rescue workers recovered 10 more bodies after an overloaded ferry capsised in rough seas off Indonesia's remote eastern province of Papua a week ago, said officials on Thursday.

With an Indonesian navy warship and several marine divers on the way, search operations were expected to intensify to locate dozens of people still missing, despite officials saying the chance of finding anyone alive one-week after the tragic accident was slim.

Sumpeno Yuwono, head of the search and rescue office in Merauke, said 10 bodies were discovered by local residents on Wednesday in the beach area of Wambi sub-district, about 80km away.

Yuwono said: "Six of the 10 bodies were beyond recognition and were buried right away at a nearby beach." The four others were evacuated to Merauke for identification.

More than 200 people aboard

The discovery brought the total to 11 bodies and 15 survivors accounted for after the Digoel ferry capsized last Thursday night off the southern coast of Papua.

Accounts by survivors put the total number of people aboard at more than 200.

Yuwono said an Indonesian navy warship and several marine divers were expected to arrive in the next few days to help existing rescuers search for missing persons in rough seas off Papua's Merauke district.

Yuwono said rescue workers planned to break windows to get into the ship, instead of trying to flip it as previously planned, in order to allow searchers quicker access inside the vessel to look for more bodies.

The 150-ton boat was officially reported to be carrying 47 people, including 12 crew members, but survivors said the number of people on board exceeded 200 when it sank about seven-hours after leaving Merauke port en route to the Papua district of Tanah Merah.

'Its difficult to find all bodies'

Yuwono and other port officials said they were still uncertain exactly how many people were on board the sunken ferry, and that it would be difficult to find all of the bodies because they might have been taken by high waves and likely washed into thick mangrove forests.

The vessel was allegedly carrying heavy equipment, including bulldozers, cement and other construction materials, as well as 40 tons of diesel oil when it capsised.

Rescue officials quoted survivors as saying that the ship was hit by waves and immediately took in water, making the vessel unstable before being quickly sunk in high seas.

Boat accidents were common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where safety rules were poorly enforced and rescue vessels were often unavailable.

- SAPA