Tanker fire claims 12

PEKANBARU, Riau: Rescue workers found on Monday the charred bodies of nine crew members of the Stephanie XVIII oil tanker which caught fire on the Siak River around Perawang, some 80 km off of here, Antara said.

The nine added to the three other victims who were found on Sunday evening.

Eyewitnesses said the tanker -- carrying premium oil from Tanjung Uban in the Riau islands -- exploded and caught fire after colliding with a tugboat.

Officials estimated that some 1,200 metric tons of premium oil polluted the Siak River.

The mishap happened when the oil tanker passed in front of the PT SDI pier, where the ship scraped against the Komodo tugboat. After the scrape, the oil tanker also collided into a barge parked in a berth at the pier, ripping the tanker's bow.

The rip allowed oil from the tanker's container to spill onto the river and catch fire.

Fire spreading across the water's surface also caught the KM Sri Intan IX ship, which had just docked with a load of fertilizer.

Those who escaped uninjured were Hamzah, skipper I, Zulkarnain, the radio operator, Gigi Sembodo and Andrias the helmsmen, Herman, the waiter, Hidayat, the apprentice, and Sugito the captain.