Rescuers pulled out 39 survivors from a passenger boat that sank in the nation’s central region. The boat was carrying 110 passengers and 12 crew members, including 14 children
Rescuers on Sunday pulled out 39 survivors and three dead from a passenger boat that sank in central Indonesia after being buffeted by high waves, and battled bad weather to try to reach scores of others still missing.
The boat was carrying 110 passengers and 12 crew members, Asikin said. The passengers included 14 children.
Six rescue boats and ships were dispatched after they received a distress call from the crew, who reported that the vessel was starting to take on water about 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Siwa port, Asikin said.
Rescue leader Roki Asikin said the waves meant it took another three hours to evacuate some survivors to shore.
Anxious relatives waited at Siwa port for news of loved ones.
Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands linked by ferry services, but correspondents say the industry has a poor safety record.
Fishermen found four people who had been on the boat, including a woman and a child. They told authorities that the boat sank hours after being hit by high waves.
Thirty-five other survivors and three bodies were found later Sunday, said Transportation Ministry spokesman Julius Barata. He said all of the survivors were taken to hospitals.
The search for the 80 people still missing was called off at nightfall Sunday and will resume Monday morning.
