Eighty people are still missing from a ferry that capsized off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia this weekend.
KM Marina Baru 02B was carrying 108 passengers and 10 crew when it issued a distress call on Saturday night after leaving Kolaka in Southeast Sulawesi for Siwa, 80 miles across the Bone Strait, according to Indonesia's Transport Ministry.
It is believed to have capsised and sank 12 miles short of its destination in heavy seas after the engines failed and the vessel began taking on water. Sulawesi is an island to the northeast of Java, home to capital Jakarta.
Six vessels were dispatched from nearby Kendari. Later, the search-and-rescue operation was expanded, with the Indonesian Navy deploying warships, the Indonesian Air Force sending patrol aircraft CN-235, and the Indonesian national search-and-rescue agency bringing in a helicopter and boats for the rescue efforts.
Local media reported that 39 survivors were found clinging to fishing buoys in the rough, open seas about 15 n miles from the mainland, although the extreme conditions are hampering search efforts. Rescue workers also pulled out three dead passengers from the sunken ferry.
A rescue co-ordinator told Xinhua from a ship heading for the last known position of the ferry that all contact had been lost with the vessel.
Topic: Eighty missing from Indonesia ferry capsize (Read 1035 times)