Dozens feared dead in ferry disaster

Recovery crews were today trying to pry open the roof of a ferry lying in 300 feet of water, searching for victims that went down with the vessel when it sank near Ambon island in central Indonesia.

Only five bodies have been recovered so far, but officials believe the death toll could rise much higher as searchers find bodies trapped inside the ferry.

The boat, packed with up to 200 passengers, sank on Sunday night, and 117 survivors were plucked from the water by fishing boats and navy vessels. Many more survivors were believed to have swam to shore.

The boat went down just minutes after sailing from Ambon, 1,600 miles east of Jakarta, on its way to Seram island, about 90 miles north east.

Col Buyung Lalana, the chief of the local navy base who is co-ordinating the search, said several dozen bodies could be trapped inside the wreckage.

Rescuers were trying to break open the roof of the vessel using the anchors of large fishing boats, so that any bodies inside might float to the surface.

There were conflicting reports on the number of people aboard.

Police arrested the ship’s skipper, who told authorities the 30-ton boat was carrying 125 passengers and crew. Police believe the number was closer to 200, and that overloading was a factor in the accident.

Most of the passengers on the inter-island ferry were believed to be heading home to Seram for this week’s start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Shipping accidents are common in Indonesia, where much travelling is done by boat.

In June 2000, nearly 500 people drowned when a ferry sank off the coast of Sulawesi. A year ago, 374 people, mostly asylum-seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq, died when a refugee boat sank en route from Indonesia to Australia.