At least 15 people were killed when a ferry capsized off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, local authorities reported, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
Post Date – 12:36 PM, Monday – July 24
Jakarta: At least 15 people were killed when a ferry sank off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing local authorities.
Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency said today that the boat carrying 40 passengers sank just after midnight (16:00GMT) and authorities were looking for 19 people who were still missing.
Six passengers were rescued and are being treated in hospital, according to the agency. “The search will be conducted in two teams. The first team will dive around the scene of the accident.” Al Jazeera quoted Mohammad Arafah, head of the local search and rescue agency in Kendari, southeast Sulawesi, as saying.
“The second team will use dinghies and longboats to clean up the water surrounding the accident site,” he added.
Ferry accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a country with the largest archipelago in the world (with more than 17,000 islands). In 2018, an overcrowded ferry capsized and sank in Sumatra’s Lake Toba, killing as many as 192 people, Al Jazeera reported.
In addition, a ferry carrying more than 800 people also capsized in the sea off East Nusa Tenggara in May last year. No one was injured in the incident. A rescue operation is underway and more details are awaited.
