At least 10 people were killed and five others remain missing after a wooden boat sank in Indonesia’s northern Riau Islands province Sunday.
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Another four bodies have been retrieved, bringing the death toll of a sunken boat off Indonesia’s western coast to 14, a navy spokesman said on Monday.
About 20 ships and 50 fishing boats have been deployed in the search.
Search and rescue operation for the missing passengers is underway now, led by the navy command, he said.
“The boat sank due to strong winds and huge waves”, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Two passengers are in critical condition and have been shifted to the navy hospital in the province, Sucipto added.
He said the people on the boat were local tourists traveling to Penyengat island, about 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the city of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan.
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The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but fatal accidents are common. Two children were among those who died. Ferries are often overcrowded and poorly regulated.
