At least 17 dead after Indonesian boat capsizes

[News_Editor]

At least 17 dead after Indonesian boat capsizes

2011-06-06 21:11:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 17 people have been confirmed dead after a boat capsized off the Indonesian island of Kalimantan, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred on Monday at around 12 p.m. local time in the Tanjung Dewa waters off South Kalimantan, when strong waves crashed into the KM Martasiah, which was carrying around 80 people and various goods such as motorcycles and household appliances, Antara news agency reported.

Following the accident, which occurred some two hours after the ship had left the Panjang port in Kotabaru, around 33 people were found safe. They are currently receiving intensive treatment at a local hospital, Kotabaru health service chief Cipta Waspada said.

Cipta had previously confirmed the number of deaths, saying that 13 of them were being kept at the Kotabaru general hospital, while the four others were in Geronggang and Tanjung Batu hospitals.

Kotabaru district head H. Irhami Ridjani said similar accidents had occurred on previous occasions, calling on officials to impose tighter regulations on ships' seaworthiness, as well as supervision over the number of passengers boarding the ships.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-06