200 missing as Indonesia ferry sinks

Some belated news from last week 200 missing as Indonesia ferry sinks

150-ton KMP Digul sank on Thursday night off the coast of Papua province while heading from the port town of Merauke to Tanah Merah, 200 km to the north, said Sumpeno Juono of the local Search and Rescue agency.

The ferry was officially reported to be carrying 50 crew and passengers. But survivors said about 200 people were on board, Sum-peno said. So far, only 15 - two crewmen and 13 passengers - have been found. He said the ferry did not have any safety equipment and sank quickly.

And a sad update:

Hopes faded today of finding any more survivors from a ferry that sank off the eastern Indonesian province of Papua last week, with as many as 200 people believed trapped inside, a rescue official said.

Some of the passengers were children on school holiday when the state-operated ferry, the Digul, was engulfed by waves on Thursday. Fifteen people, including two crew members, were rescued alive.

"Seeing that we have only been able to find 15 people after three days, we believe that most of the passengers had been trapped inside the boat," said Sumpeno Juwono, a search and rescue official from Merakuke district. (source)