At Least 20 Killed in Ferry Accident in North Maluku, IndonesiaAt least 20 passengers were killed and 53 others survived when their boat smashed into rocks in rough seas in North Maluku, Indonesia.According to the Jakarta Post Tuesday, the accident occurred in the waters off Jailolo, some 24 kilometers north of Ternate, capital of the province, on Sunday morning. "We don't know the exact number of people on board as the number of victims is far higher than the number of passengers recorded on the manifest," North Maluku Police chief Lieutenant Colonel Zulkarnain said. On the official manifest, however, only 30 passengers and 10 crew members were listed. Meanwhile, an unofficial count estimated that there were some 100 people on board when the tragedy occurred. The wooden-hulled ship was carrying passengers, mostly refugees, and 25 tons of freight -- including food and plywood -- from Bastiong port in the west of North Maluku to Galela district on Halmahera island to the east. Zulkarnain said that rough seas and strong tides caused the boat to sink. "That and the fact that the boat was overloaded are the most likely causes of the accident," he added. In June last year, a ferry carrying 492 Christian refugees fleeing North Maluku sank in pounding seas as it was traveling to neighboring North Sulawesi. Only 11 survivors were found adrift in the ocean three days later hanging on to debris from the doomed ferry, which was carrying twice its legal passenger payload. |
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