SIMALUNGUN - Rescuers searched Indonesia's Lake Toba on Tuesday for dozens of passengers still missing after a ferry capsized at the popular tourist destination. Anguished relatives waited by the shore for news as several hundred personnel fanned out across the huge body of water on Sumatra island.
The wooden vessel sank Monday afternoon with an estimated 80 people aboard, authorities have said, just days after more than a dozen people were killed in another maritime accident across the country. At least one person has been found dead in the latest sinking and 18 were rescued. Local officials said dozens more passengers are still missing a day after the accident.
About 130 people have been reported missing by relatives in the area but it was not clear if they were all on the vessel, authorities said. "Whether they were all passengers on the boat or not, we don't know," transport ministry official Sri Hardianto told AFP. "We haven't found any new passengers today."
The ferry was believed to be operating illegally, with no manifest or passenger tickets. It was not clear if any foreigners were on board or what caused it to capsize. Survivor Rahman Saputra said trouble started about halfway into the 40-minute trip from an island in the middle of the lake to shore. "The waves started getting rough and the wind picked up. Then the boat started shaking," he told Kompas TV. "Many passengers tried to get out but a lot were trapped inside the boat. Not long after that it capsized."
