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Dozens Feared Dead in Boat Collision in Riau, Indonesia
Dozens of passengers were feared dead in boat collision in Riau province, Indonesia, on Saturday night, according to the Indonesian Observer Monday.
The motor-powered passenger vessel "Juwita" which was plying the route along the Siak river in Riau was involved the crash with the tug boat "Bintang Ocean" in the darkness near Kuala Gasip village in the Siak Sri Indrapura district.
The passengers were thrown overboard from the Juwita, most of whom had been sleeping. Eyewitness who were rescued told reporters that their vessel was apparently struck from behind by Bintang Ocean.
Juwita was on its regular trip which ferries passengers to Tanjung Ping from the provincial capital of Pekanbaru.
The paper quoted an official in Pekanbaru port as saying that they have confirmed finding one dead passenger from the accident but expect more as the search teams go about their task.
"There were 44 passengers on board. I don't know the exact number of crew members," the official said, adding that both boats were tugged to one side of the river so as not to disturb regular river traffic.
Police and rescue teams said they have faced a number of difficulties in searching the waterway for the missing passengers as the collision site is a difficult location to reach.
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