Death toll rises to 27 after Indonesian boat capsizes off Kalimantan

Death toll rises to 27 after Indonesian boat capsizes off Kalimantan

2011-06-08 05:09:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll has risen to 27 after an Indonesian boat capsized off the island of Kalimantan on Monday, officials said Tuesday.

Search and rescue team coordinator Rusliansyah told Antara news agency that more bodies had been found on Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatal victims to 27, while 73 others survived the incident, which occurred on Monday at around 12 p.m. local time in the Tanjung Dewa waters off South Kalimantan.

With the confirmed number of fatal victims and survivors, the number of passengers has been estimated to be around 100 people. However, the exact number of passengers remains uncertain since the boat did not have controlled documentation. Eight divers had been searching for bodies until the seabed, but more people could still be missing, Rusliansyah noted.

The accident took place some two hours after the ship had left the Panjang port in Kotabaru, when strong waves crashed into the KM Martasiah, which was also carrying various goods such as motorcycles and household appliances.

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