Over 100 missing as overloaded boat capsizes off Papua

Over 100 missing as overloaded boat capsizes off Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Search and rescue teams were still looking on Saturday for over a
100 people reportedly still missing after the KM Digoel ferry
boat capsized in the rough waters off Merauke, Papua province on
Thursday evening.

The 120-ton vessel, belonging to state-owned river and lake
ferry service company PT ASDP, reportedly capsized on Thursday
around 11 p.m., or seven hours after leaving Kelapa Lima harbor
in Merauke.

It was chartered by a store in Merauke to carry heavy
equipment and its employees to Tanah Merah in Boven Digoel
regency.

Head of Merauke's Search and Rescue Office, Supeno Yuwono,
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that according to one surviving
passenger, the ship had some 200 passengers on board when it left
port.

The ship's official manifest, however, states that the ship
was only carrying 35 passengers and 15 crew as well as heavy
equipment.

Meanwhile, Umar Imran, a PT ASDP official, told AP that the
ferry had a capacity of 153 passengers, but was only carrying 67.

On Saturday, at least 10 search and rescue personnel had been
deployed along with four ships to find the missing passengers.
The search was assisted by four other ships traveling in the area
and a Mission Aviation Fellowship rescue aircraft.

"From the team's report, they only found the ship's remains,
and it was upside down. There was no sign of life around it, but
the search will go on," Supeno said.

So far, only 15 people -- two crew and 13 passengers -- have
been found.

Out of the 15 surviving passengers, 14 were found on Friday,
rescued by the fishing boat Rapikiran 4, and the other one was
rescued on Saturday while floating in the sea.

"The 14 passengers have been given medical treatment at
Merauke hospital. Twelve of them have returned home and two were
still being treated with serious injuries," he said.

According to Supeno, the overloaded ship capsized after being
hit by big waves.

"Surviving passengers said that the ship was hit by waves and
water immediately rushed in to the ship, making it unstable
before capsizing," he said.

He said that at this time of year, the waters off southern
Papua were often rough and swells could reach four meters high.

"In the months of June and July, the southern sea is
dangerous, and causes many accidents," he said.

The ship, he revealed, was intended for use as a river
passenger ferry, but since Merauke regency did not have enough
boats, it was used in the open sea.