Rescuers pry open ferry's roof in search of bodies

Rescuers pry open ferry's roof in search of bodies

Associated Press, Jakarta

Recovery crews Tuesday tried to pry open the roof of a ferry lying in 100 meters of water, searching for victims that went down with the vessel when it sank near Ambon in Maluku on Sunday.

Only five bodies have been recovered so far, but officials believe the death toll could rise much higher as searchers find bodies trapped inside the ferry.

The Masohi Star, packed with up to 200 passengers, sank Sunday night, and 117 survivors were plucked from the water by fishing boats and navy vessels. Many more survivors were believed to have swam to shore.

The boat went down just minutes after sailing from Ambon, the capital of Maluku on its way to Seram Island, about 150 kilometers northeast of the city.

Most of the passengers on the inter-island ferry were believed heading home to Seram for the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan.

Col. Buyung Lalana, the chief of the local naval base who is coordinating the search, said several dozen bodies could be trapped inside the wreckage.

Rescuers were trying to break open the roof of the vessel using the anchors of large fishing boats, so that any bodies inside might float to the surface.

There were conflicting reports on the number of people aboard.

Police arrested the ship's skipper, who told authorities the 30-ton boat was carrying 125 passengers and crew. Police believe the number was closer to 200, and that overloading was a factor in the accident.

Shipping accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where much traveling is done by boat.

In June 2000, nearly 500 people drowned when a ferry sank off the coast of Sulawesi. A year ago, 374 people, mostly asylum- seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq, died when a refugee boat sank en route from Indonesia to Australia.