One killed in ship accident

One killed in ship accident

JAKARTA: A passenger ship carrying about 700 people ran
aground off the coast of the eastern Indonesia islands of Maluku,
leaving one person dead and 20 injured, a port official said
Saturday.

The MTB Express hit a coral reef near Argodang island in the
southeast Maluku island chain Thursday night while it was
traveling from the provincial capital of Ambon to Tual, said
Rusli Barends, a Tual port official.

A rescue team reached the boat Friday and found one person
dead and 20 people with minor injuries, Barends said.

All but 50 of the 700 passengers and crew had been evacuated
by Saturday, but authorities were moving quickly to remove the
remaining passengers, since the boat was listing badly and in
danger of sinking, he said. -- AP