Ship sinks off Ambon waters, 36 dead

AMBON, Maluku (JP): At least 36 people died on Sunday when the Masnait ship sank off the waters of Ambon island, officials said.

Rescue workers and local residents saved 85 passengers, who were then evacuated to the police station in Telahu village and its predominantly Muslim Tial village, about 30 kilometers east of here.

As of 9 p.m. local time, the rescue team was searching for four people, including two crew members, captain Christian Nendisa and navigator Yance Sopacua, in the waters off Ambon island between Tanjung Hutumuri and Tanjung Tial, where the ship was battered by huge waves and sank at about 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.

According to a Navy official, three passengers, including two women, died on the way to Halong Naval Hospital in Ambon after being rescued. The bodies were taken to Paso Church in Teluk Ambon, Baguala district and the Suli community health center, about 10 kilometers east of Ambon, later in the day.

Eighteen bodies at Paso Church have been identified and taken by their families who are from the Ambon islands. The victims include the director of the Ambon-based Paramedics Academy, Ebi Noya, Ary Kalahatu and a six-month-old baby, Ferry Susanto.

Local residents found four bodies in Suli, and another four were recovered in Tial. Seven of the dead were taken to Dr. Haulussy Hospital here.

Preliminary investigations concluded that the ship might have been overloaded as there were at least 125 people on board.

Besides passengers, the ship was also loaded with 40 tons of cement, 20 tons of fertilizer, two buses and two trucks.

According to Maluku's sea transportation chief M.J. Manuputti and head of the provincial office of the communications ministry Suwandi, the listed people on board amounted to only 62 passengers and 12 crew.

"The ship had been checked and it was in a decent condition to sail. But it is very likely that the vessel was carrying many more unlisted travelers and that this was what caused it to sink when it was hit by high waves," Manuputti said.

A survivor, 35-year-old military officer Bey Papilaya, said that his wife was still missing and that the ship was overloaded.

"We were saved by predominantly Muslim Tial villagers who happened to be fishing in the area. At first we were afraid that they were going to kill us because we are Christians, but they guaranteed our safety and gave us food," Papilaya said.

Another survivor, Ano Tuatanasse, said he and other passengers swam for hours before being rescued by a Muslim resident in a traditional boat. "Thank God we were saved," he said. (48/49/edt)