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.