40 more bodies recovered in Indonesian boat accident, death toll reaches 63

Published December 24, 2015
Rescuers carry the body of a victim of the sunken ferry Marina Baru at Tobaku port. —Reuters
Rescuers carry the body of a victim of the sunken ferry Marina Baru at Tobaku port. —Reuters
Bodies of victims of the sunken ferry Marina Baru are seen laid out at Tobaku port in Kolaka Utara. —Reuters
Bodies of victims of the sunken ferry Marina Baru are seen laid out at Tobaku port in Kolaka Utara. —Reuters

MAKASSAR: Rescuers recovered 40 more bodies on Thursday from waters in central Indonesia, raising the confirmed death toll from the weekend sinking of a passenger boat to 63. Fifteen people are still missing.

The Marina Baru 2B, carrying 118 passengers and crewmen, sank in the Gulf of Bone on Saturday while on its way from Kolaka in Southeast Sulawesi province to Siwa town in South Sulawesi province.

The fiberglass ferry reportedly was overwhelmed by waves more than 3 meters (10 feet) high during stormy weather.

The head of the local disaster mitigation agency, Alamsyah, revised the number of survivors to 40, saying one person had been counted twice.

Indonesian search and rescue team members carry a dead body to shore in Kolaka. —AFP
Indonesian search and rescue team members carry a dead body to shore in Kolaka. —AFP

Most of the survivors were pulled out Sunday while the last one was the boat's captain, who was found Monday snagged on a fishing platform, said Alamsyah, who uses a single name.

Operational chief of South Sulawesi's Search and Rescue Agency Deden Ridwansyah said all but one of the bodies recovered Thursday were found intact.

Ridwansyah said the search for the remaining 15 missing would be carried out until Saturday.

Boats are a popular form of transportation in Indonesia's 17,000 islands, but overcrowding and poor safety enforcement make accidents common.

Indonesian rescuers recover the dead body of a baby during an operation in the Sulawesi sea, near Kolaka. —AFP
Indonesian rescuers recover the dead body of a baby during an operation in the Sulawesi sea, near Kolaka. —AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Business concerns
Updated 26 Apr, 2024

Business concerns

There is no doubt that these issues are impeding a positive business clime, which is required to boost private investment and economic growth.
Musical chairs
26 Apr, 2024

Musical chairs

THE petitioners are quite helpless. Yet again, they are being expected to wait while the bench supposed to hear...
Global arms race
26 Apr, 2024

Global arms race

THE figure is staggering. According to the annual report of Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace...
Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...