At Least 9 Dead In Indonesian Ferry Sinking

November 22, 2009 10:03 a.m. EST

Jakarta, Indonesia (AHN) - At least nine people were killed when an Indonesian ferry sank in heavy seas off the island of Sumatra on Sunday.

The Dumai Express 10 was traveling from an island near Singapore to Dumai Island, where Radio France Internationale reports it ran into massive waves.

Government officials say 292 people have been rescued, but local reports indicate that local government officials doubt those numbers because the ship's manifest listed only 228 people.

The government is investigating whether the ferry was overloaded.

Sunaryo, ocean transportation director general fort the Transportation Ministry, stated at a press conference in Jakarta - "The capacity of the ship was 273 and there is an indication it was over capacity. If it was, we will not tolerate that as they should have never played with people's lives."  Sunaryo, uses only one name.