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Seven missing after ship sinks
19/02/2008 17:14 - (SA)
Jakarta - A small boat sank in rough sea off the eastern-most Indonesian province of Papua on Tuesday, leaving seven people missing and feared drowned.
Five survivors were rescued, local media reports said.
A small boat carrying 12 people on board has sank mid-Tuesday in rough sea off Yapen, a small island off the northern Papua province.
The boat was en route from Waren port on Papua to Serui, the main town on Yapen island, said Yapen district chief Daud S Betawi.
Five of the 12 people on board the vessel were rescued by another boat, while seven others were missing and feared drowned, the state-run Antara news agency quoted Betawi as saying.
Rescue workers were searching for the missing persons, but high waves have hampered the operation, he said.
Indonesia is an archipelago nation of more than 17 000 islands.
Ferries provide popular and cheap transportation for the country's 230 million people, but safety standards are often ignored and overloading is common. -Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
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