Ferry with 100 people sinks in east Indonesia

JAKARTA - An Indonesian ferry carrying around 100 people has sunk in the eastern part of the country, but no deaths have been confirmed so far, rescue officials said last night.

However, Jakarta-based Elshinta news radio quoted a local official saying the sinking boat had been beached on an islet off the larger island of Rote, 1,900 km east of Jakarta, and more than 50 of its passengers had been rescued.

The official said only some 60 people had been on board the ferry.

The Indonesian navy has dispatched one ship and an airplane to search for the boat, which ran into trouble late on Monday near Rote.

"We believe more or less 100 people were on board ... But we don't know the real capacity of the ship nor the cause of the incident," Hidayat Surati from Indonesia's national rescue agency in Jakarta told Reuters.

Often it is difficult to determine how many passengers are on Indonesian ferries involved in accidents, since they frequently carry individuals who have not paid for their tickets or otherwise have not been listed on manifests.

Rescuers in Kupang, the closest city to the accident area, said an intensified search is underway.

"We have rescued 19 people so far and that number should climb. We are still continuing rescue efforts with the navy and local residents," said Herry Sasongko, head of the national rescue agency's branch in Kupang on Timor island.

A ferry sank in heavy seas in the same area less than three months ago, killing at least 10 people. More than 100 were rescued.

Ferries are a popular means of transport between the more than 17,000 islands of Indonesia, where sea connections are cheaper and more available than air routes.

But safety standards are not strictly enforced and many ferries are overcrowded.

- REUTERS