More bodies found in Bone Bay

More bodies found in Bone Bay

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Two more bodies, believed to be passengers of two ships that sank in Bone Bay last week, were found washed ashore on Wednesday, bringing the official death toll of the sea accident to 17.

Antara reported that three people are believed to be still missing, although officials were not able to identify them.

Neither of the two ships -- the KM Bunga Coklat 01 and the KM Belibis 02 -- had a passengers' list which would have revealed the precise number of passengers aboard at the time of the accident.

More than 110 people survived the ordeal.

The three bodies found on Wednesday were so decomposed that neither their identities, nor even their sex, could be ascertained. The villagers who found the bodies buried them before reporting the find to the authorities.

The tragedy occurred when one of the ships responded to a distress call from the other, which had already begun to sink. Both ships eventually sank because there were too many passengers to carry. (31)