Patrol boat sinks off Cirebon coast

Patrol boat sinks off Cirebon coast

CIREBON, West Java: A patrol boat belonging to the Cirebon Customs and Excise Agency sank five miles off the coast here after being battered by waves on Sunday.

So powerful was the wave that sank the boat that it snapped the line that linked the boat with a Vietnamese freighter. The boat then capsized and sank, a member of the customs agency who witnessed the accident told Antara.

Nobody was aboard the boat at the time. All its officers were on board the Vietnamese freighter to inspect the documents and contents of the ship.

The port authorities have sent a team to try to salvage the patrol boat now lying on the bottom of the sea. (emb)