The search has resumed for at least 74 people still missing after a boat sank off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island at the weekend.
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Three people, including two children, have been confirmed dead so far.
The families of those missing have been nervously awaiting any news of their loved ones in Siwa, where the ferry had been destined before it sent out a distress signal and lost contact with authorities.
“The boat has not been found because the weather has not been good”, he added, saying the boat was constructed from fibreglass and was therefore hard to sink.
Roki Asikin, the SAR Agency (Basarnas) chief for South Sulawesi, told the Tribun Makassar newspaper that Basarnas would deploy one helicopter, three ships and four rubber boats to the area.
“We are still searching for the survivors”.
After initial reports the vessel may have capsized, authorities battled huge waves Sunday attempting the rescue operation on the ship, which was about 12 miles from Siwa, a police spokesman said.
Two children have become the first victims found following a ferry accident in central Indonesia, an official said Sunday, as search and rescue teams continue scouring the rough seas for survivors. The ship, carrying 108 passengers and 10 crew members, has still not been found after it was hit by a storm on Saturday, around the Bone Strait of South Sulawesi, about 19 kilometers from Siwa – the ship’s destination. Boats are often overcrowded and safety regulations are poorly enforced.
Many of those rescued were found with life jackets floating in the sea after they had abandoned the stricken ferry, and four people were found alive in a fish trap.
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Rescue efforts were hampered on Sunday by rough conditions and waves up to five meters high.
