At least 15 dead and 19 missing after ferry sinks off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, reports say

Of 40 passengers on board, six survive

This handout photo from Indonesia’s National Rescue Agency (Basarnas) taken and released on 24 July 2023 shows members of a rescue team setting out to conduct search and rescue operations in Buton Tengah, southwest Sulawesi after a ferry sank (BASARNAS/AFP via Getty Images)

An overcrowded ferry sank off Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island on Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead and another 19 missing, say authorities.

On a boat designed for 20 people, 40 passengers on board, of which six survived, said the national search and rescue agency in their statement.

Three rubber boats, two fishing boats and six divers were deployed to search for the missing people, he said.

The cause of the sinking, which occurred at about midnight, was still unclear.

The boat was traveling from Lanto village in Buton Central regency in Southeast Sulawesi province to nearby Lagii village when it capsized, Buton’s search and rescue agency head Muhammad Arafah said.

“All the victims have been identified and handed over to the families while the survivors are now being treated in local hospitals,” he added.

Photos shared by the rescue agency showed victims’ bodies covered in cloth on the floor of the local hospital.

The vessel was ferrying people across a bay in Muna island, about 200km (124 miles) south of Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi province.

Thousands of residents had traveled to their villages to celebrate the regency’s 9th anniversary on Sunday, and many people were transported by fishing or passenger boats.

Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.

Additional reporting from the wires