Sunk ferry death toll climbs to 28, 46 missing

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The death toll from the sinking of an overloaded ferry in rough seas off North Sumatra rose to at least 28 people on Tuesday while rescuers continued to search for more than 46 others missing and feared drowned in the tragedy, officials said.

The search and rescue team found 20 more bodies in Tanjung Balai Asahan waters on Tuesday.

First Lt. Budi Wahyudi, who leads the team, had said the search for survivors and other victims would continue until Tuesday night.

The KM Mutiara Indah ferry, packed with about 140 passengers, caught fire and sank early on Monday while sailing north from Tanjung Ledong on a five-hour trip to Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra.

It capsized at around 1 a.m. after a fire broke out when its engine overheated and exploded.

By early on Monday, only 15 passengers had been reported missing and at least 64 people, including the boat's captain and chief engineer, had been rescued.

But the number of the missing people increased after 62 families reported that loved ones were on board the ill-fated ship and had yet to return home, said First Brig. Soeroto, a local sea police officer.

"At least 46 people are still missing and feared drowned. This number is based on reports from residents about missing family members after the tragedy," he told The Jakarta Post.

However, local police officers could not give the exact number of people aboard the ferry, making it impossible to determine how many people were still missing or feared drowned in the incident.

According to the official manifest at Tanjung Ledong harbor, the ferry was only carrying 61 passengers, in addition to cargo that included three motorcycles and 300 sacks of rice. By contrast, the captain claimed there were some 80 people on board.

Soeroto said the rescuers hoped to find more survivors or bodies as the sea near the scene was becoming calmer. "The possibility that the rescue team will discover more missing passengers is very high as sea conditions are improving," he explained.

Soeroto said the rescue workers, comprising police, marine and customs officials, and local fishermen, were being assisted by a team from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), which deployed a number of boats to help find survivors or bodies off Tanjung Balai Asahan.

He said at least 10 people who were seriously injured in the accident were being treated at the Tanjung Balai general hospital.

Survivors confirmed that the wooden ferry was carrying far more passengers than its stated capacity of less than 100. They could not give a precise number, however.

Several survivors said they and many other passengers jumped from the ship into the sea shortly after a fire broke out in the engine room and explosions were heard from inside the ferry.

But many others, particularly children, were unable to jump overboard and were trapped inside the ship when it capsized two hours after its departure from Tanjung Ledong harbor.

Asahan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Umar Saptono said his officers were focusing their investigations on the possibility of negligence on the part of the boat's captain, Effendi Simatupang, and chief engineer, Fendi Purba.

"The crew members are being detained by the sea police unit in Tanjung Balai Asahan for further questioning. They will likely be named suspects in the tragedy," he told the Post.

Soeroto said that Fendi had told investigators the boat's chief engineer was asleep when the engine overheated.

However, he said the ship's crew members had been negligent and were also responsible for the fire as they had failed to inspect the engine or fix the problem before the ship departed.

Apeng, the owner of the boat, said he would give the families of the victims compensation of between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million each.

The fatal accident was the second in Tanjung Balai Asahan waters after a similar tragedy in 1978 when the KM Permos ferry capsized leaving hundreds of people dead and missing.

Boat accidents are common across this vast archipelago where much traveling is done by ship. Many accidents involve overloaded vessels. Safety regulations are often ignored or poorly enforced, with shipowners frequently claiming they are unable to afford maintenance or repairs.