Wife dies, husband missing in accident

PADANG, West Sumatra: A woman was reported killed on Monday and her husband missing when their canoe sank after being swamped by large waves off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra.

Local fishermen said the couple, farmers from Air Manis in South Padang subdistrict, were paddling home in their canoe at around 7 p.m. on Sunday after visiting their clove plantation on Pisang Gadang Island, only a 15-minute trip by small boat from the nearby beach, when the canoe was swamped, said a fisherman identified only as Adi.

He said he and other local people immediately started searching for the couple but only found Nanun, 63, floating dead in the water. Her 68-year-old husband, Mahmud, remains missing, Adi added.

A search party comprising 16 members, together with six water police officers, was also deployed to find Mahmud. As of Monday morning, they had still failed to do so.

Last December, nine out of 12 university students were drowned after their boat capsized in the Muara Anai river in Padang Sarai Kota.

The students were trying to cross the flood-swollen river on board the fishing boat. -- JP