Five die, 13 missing as boat capsizes

Puji Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru

A speedboat packed with passengers capsized in a river in Riau province after being hit by a large wave, leaving at least five people dead and 13 others missing and feared dead, police and officials said on Monday.

Forty-four passengers survived when the Tuakal, which was carrying 60 people, capsized at about 5:25 p.m. on Sunday in the Kuala Kampar River.

Rescuers recovered four bodies near the scene of the accident on Sunday and one more body on Monday.

"I just received a report this morning that another body was found," Pelelawan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Slamet Soeroso told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said he was leading efforts to find the 13 remaining missing passengers.

Four of the five recovered bodies have been identified as Syafrizal, 30; Purwadi, 35; Susi Manurung, 27; and Mismar, 42.

Slamet and other local officials said the speedboat was hit by a strong wave, known locally known as a bono, in Teluk Meranti district, Palelawan regency.

"It was impossible for the boat to avoid the bono," Slamet said.

Locals say at least two of these large waves occur in the Kuala Kampar River each year, with the waves reaching six meters high.

The waves are formed when the currents from the Strait of Malacca, the South China Sea and the Kuala Kampar River meet.

Last year, a similar wave hit a boat carrying 11 people but there were no fatalities in that incident.