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.