Indonesia: 15 dead as ferry capsizes off Sulawesi island
Jakarta (Indonesia), July 24: At least 15 people died and 19 remain missing after a ferry sank off Sulawesi island of Indonesia, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
Authorities are still looking for 19 people who went missing when a boat carrying 40 passengers sank around midnight (16:00 GMT), according to Indonesia's national search and rescue agency. Six passengers were rescued and are being treated in a hospital, according to the agency.
"The search will be carried out in two teams. The first crew will dive around the accident scene," Muhamad Arafah, the head of the local search and rescue agency in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, said in a statement to Al Jazeera.
"The second team will conduct an above-the-water-surface sweep around the accident site using a rubber boat and a longboat," he added.
Ferry accidents are not unusual in Indonesia, which has the world's largest archipelago with over 17,000 islands.
According to Al Jazeera, up to 192 people died in 2018 when a ferry carrying too many passengers capsized and sank in Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra.
Furthermore, in May of last year, a ferry carrying over 800 people capsized in waters beyond the province of East Nusa Tenggara. No one was hurt in the incident.
More information will be released as the rescue operation continues.
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- With inputs from agencies
