South Sulawesi ferry sinks, 13 people dead

PANGKEP, South Sulawesi (JP): A ferry carrying twice its maximum passenger load sunk yesterday morning killing at least 13 people, including a four-year-old child.

Eleven other passengers were injured, five in a critical condition, while scores of others went missing.

The nine-meter long Sumber Jaya sank at the mouth of Pangkajene river as it was carrying passengers from Laiya island to Pangkep, about 60 kilometers north of Ujungpandang.

Pangkep police chief Lt. Col. Haryogo said the accident was probably caused by overloading.

"The ships capacity was only 20 to 25 people," he said.

Sumber Jaya was supposedly carrying 50 passengers.

One of the survivors, Saida, 19, also blamed the ship's captain for taking on board too many passengers.

Signs of trouble emerged when the Sumber Jaya ran into rough waters. As the boat began to tilt many of the passengers on the lower deck began running upward, which further rocked the sinking boat.

The ferry's captain, M. Arifin, began to loose control as the waves continued hitting the boat. Arifin's call for help to control the steering rudder only served to panic the passengers even more.

Seeing that the Sumber Jaya was in trouble, several residents and fishermen on a nearby beach took their boats out to the ferry.

While they managed to pluck several survivors out of the water, many others were beyond their reach. Rescue teams are still searching for survivors.

Another accident occurred in Bakauheni, South Lampung, Saturday morning when a ship anchored to a pier at a ferry port capsized after being hit by Mufidah ferry transporting people and vehicles from Java to Sumatra.

Mufidah was entering Bakauheni port after plying the route from Merak, West Java, when it struck the empty Tidar Maju ship, Antara reported.

All passengers and vehicles aboard Mufidah survived the mishap, but Tidar Maju sprang a leak and sank. An official from Bakauheni port said the mishap happened when thick fog covered the whole area.

The two accidents were the latest in a recent string of sea and air accidents throughout the country. In the past fortnight two airplanes have crashed and two other ferries have sunk.

The unfortunate spate of accidents has prompted calls from legislators demanding an explanation from the Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto. (30/31)