18 bodies found at sea

18 bodies found at sea

PEKANBARU, Riau: Fishermen found 18 bodies over the last three
days, all floating in the waters off Bagan Siapiapi and Panipahan
in the Rokan Hilir regency.

The bodies were likely to be the missing victims of the ferry
KM Mutiara Indah that sank in the waters off Tanjung Balai Asahan
on Feb. 25, said Bangko Police district chief Pvt. Drajat on
Friday.

Packed with 140 passengers, the ferry caught fire when its
cooling system broke down. It then capsized in rough seas two
hours before it would have reached Tanjung Balai Asahan.

Officials have said that at least 44 bodies were found.
Another 26 victims are still missing.

The waters off Bagan Siapiapi and Panipahan, where the recent
18 bodies were found, are near Tanjung Balai Asahan.

After floating for almost two weeks, the bodies, two of which
were women, were in a bad condition. Police could not identify
all of them. -- Antara