Hundreds rescued from grounded ferry

Hundreds rescued from grounded ferry

JAKARTA (JP): Rescue workers saved on Sunday 210 passengers of
the KMP Jatra I ferry bound for Lampung, which ran aground near
Harimau island in the Sunda Straits.

An official at Bakauheni port confirmed the accident and told
Antara that the vessel ran aground one and a half hours after it
departed Merak in Banten at 4:30 a.m. Passengers waited four
hours for rescue workers to arrive.

The ferry, owned by the state River and Lake Transportation
Company (ASDP), was also carrying 60 vehicles.

All passengers were evacuated and taken to their destination
of Bakauheni by speedboat. Their vehicles were being moved to
other ships as of Sunday afternoon.

The ferry, on a route stretching 10 nautical miles, was
scheduled to arrive in Bakauheni by 6 p.m. at the latest.

Some passengers said those on board panicked when the ship
lurched as it ran aground.

The causes of the accident are unknown, but port officials
said the tide had subsided when the ferry embarked on its trip.

It is the second such accident to happen over the past few
months in the straits separating Java and Sumatra. Another ferry,
the KMP Nusa Jaya, ran aground earlier this year, but no
fatalities were reported.