Sunken ship's death toll rises to 40

Sunken ship's death toll rises to 40

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Rescue workers found 12 more bodies on Friday, five days after the sinking of an overloaded ferry off North Sumatra province, raising the death toll to 40, police said.

The bodies were of two children, four women and six men, which were all discovered far from the scene of the accident in Tanjung Balai Asahan by the joint search and rescue team.

Police said the bodies could not be identified and were taken to Tanjung Balai General Hospital for autopsies.

The rescuers would continue to search until Sunday for at least 34 other victims who were still missing after the tragedy.

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.

The boat caught fire three hours after leaving Tanjung Ledong Harbor, when its cooling system failed to work properly and overheated, officials said.

On Wednesday, police officially named the ship's captain, Effendi Simatupang, and chief engineer Fendi Purba, as suspects in the fire.

Asahan Police chief Sr. Comr. Umar Saptono has said the mishap would not have occurred if the two senior crew members were stringent in ensuring that the boat was not filled to over its maximum capacity of 60 passengers. -- Antara