SAMARINDA: Authorities say the number of people killed when a wooden ferry boat sank in a river in Indonesia’s part of Borneo island has climbed to 22, Associated Press reported.
Mujiono, who heads a search and rescue department in Samarinda, provincial capital of East Kalimantan, said Monday the toll rose after rescuers recovered more than a dozen bodies during weekend searches.
The boat, carrying 112 passengers and crew, sank late Thursday in Mahakam River. It was sailing upstream from Samarinda to Melak in the same province.
Mujiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said rescuers are searching for at least seven people reportedly still missing.
Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Sea accidents are common in the country, partly because of overcrowding and poor safety standards.