Five die, 13 missing as boat capsizes

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.