Indonesia: Ferry accident, 23 out of 118 people rescued.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of December 19th, a ferry carrying 118 passengers and crew disappeared while passing through the Sulawesi island area in central Indonesia. To date, only 23 of the 118 people on board have been rescued.

Ferry sinking accidents are becoming increasingly common in Indonesia. Photo: Internet

According to the latest announcement on December 20th from Indonesian authorities, rescue teams have found 23 passengers and are continuing to search for the ferry. Roki Asikin, head of the search and rescue operations, said that rescue teams found the passengers clinging to fishing rafts in very bad weather conditions.

The passengers were located approximately 15 nautical miles from the mainland. It took rescue teams three hours to complete the rescue operation. Search and rescue efforts are still underway with numerous large vessels despite extremely bad sea conditions.

Earlier, Indonesian Ministry of Transportation spokesperson JA Barata announced that on Saturday morning, December 19th, the ferry en route to the western island of Siwa sent out a distress signal when it reached the Kolaka area in southeastern Sulawesi. Local authorities said they were unable to contact the ferry after it was struck by waves 4 to 5 meters high. Rescue operations were immediately launched.

Indonesia is known to be a country with over 17,000 islands of varying sizes. Therefore, ferries are one of the most common modes of transportation in the country. However, maritime safety in this island nation is in a state of alarm following a series of tragic ferry accidents in recent years.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)