Indonesian Ferry Carrying At Least 267 Passengers Capsizes In Rough Waters

January 11, 2009 1:25 p.m. EST

Jakarta, Indonesia (AHN) - Indonesian authorities said Sunday that a ferry carrying at least 250 passengers and 17 crew members sank in the rough waters off South Sulawesi province in eastern region of the country.

The ferry sank at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday (20:00 GMT Saturday) in the waters of West Sulawesi after being hit by seven-foot (two meters) waves, the local officials said.

"There's a tropical cyclone now which caused tides of five to six metres," Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djama told reporters, according to Sky News. "There's a combination of 250 passengers and cargo (on board)."

He added that around 150 people have been taken off the vessel, but it is not known if they are alive or dead.

Majene district police head Adj. Sr. Comr. Suyatmo told The Jakarta Post newspaper that at least 18 survivors had been found so far.

Suyatno added the survivors managed to swim to shore where local residents assisted them, the paper said.

The local reports said maritime accidents are common in the country, which is considered as the world's largest archipelago of thousands of islands, where ferries are common mode of cheap transport.