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Survivor in 25-hour sea ordeal
Source: Agencies |
November 24, 2009, Tuesday
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RESCUERS plucked a woman from choppy waters yesterday, some 25 hours after she jumped from a crowded ferry that sank in a storm off Indonesia's Sumatra island. At least 29 people drowned, and 20 others were missing.
A total of 255 survivors have been pulled from the sea since Sunday when the Dumai Express 10 was hit by towering waves and sank about 90 minutes into an inter-island trip from Batam to Dumai in Riau, a province off Sumatra island in western Indonesia. A second ferry ran aground nearby, but all its passengers were said to be safe. The rescued woman in her 30s was spotted by fishermen, and last night she was in stable condition in a hospital.
A navy spokesman said: "Fishermen saw her floating with a life jacket on the rough sea in the rain. She is very tough."
Fishing boats, police patrols, navy warships and a helicopter were still searching for 20 people reported missing, but bad weather and 4-meter high waves were hampering the mission.
The woman was the only one found yesterday. Among those missing are six children and four elderly women, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center.
Some passengers may have been trapped in the capsized ship, according to survivors. Authorities have recovered 29 bodies from the water, including those of two children.
Indonesian ferry accidents have killed hundreds of people in recent years. Boats are often overcrowded, and safety regulations are poorly enforced.
A total of 255 survivors have been pulled from the sea since Sunday when the Dumai Express 10 was hit by towering waves and sank about 90 minutes into an inter-island trip from Batam to Dumai in Riau, a province off Sumatra island in western Indonesia. A second ferry ran aground nearby, but all its passengers were said to be safe. The rescued woman in her 30s was spotted by fishermen, and last night she was in stable condition in a hospital.
A navy spokesman said: "Fishermen saw her floating with a life jacket on the rough sea in the rain. She is very tough."
Fishing boats, police patrols, navy warships and a helicopter were still searching for 20 people reported missing, but bad weather and 4-meter high waves were hampering the mission.
The woman was the only one found yesterday. Among those missing are six children and four elderly women, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center.
Some passengers may have been trapped in the capsized ship, according to survivors. Authorities have recovered 29 bodies from the water, including those of two children.
Indonesian ferry accidents have killed hundreds of people in recent years. Boats are often overcrowded, and safety regulations are poorly enforced.
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