In a tragic accident, a ferry sank off the coast of Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Monday after midnight, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 people. The country's national search and rescue agency said that operations to locate 19 missing passengers are currently underway, according to ANI citing media reports.
The boat was carrying 40 passengers, out of which six have been rescued and sent to a hospital for treatment.
"The search will be conducted by dividing into two teams. The first team will dive around the accident site,” said Muhamad Arafah, head of the local search and rescue agency in Kendari city in Southeast Sulawesi, in a statement. Another team will conduct a search operation above the water around the site of the accident, he further said.
Ferry accidents are not unusual in Indonesia, which has the largest archipelago in the world with more than 17,000 islands.
In 2018, a ferry capsized in Lake Toba on Sumatra Island, killing up to 192 passengers on board, as per media reports.
A ferry carrying 800 passengers ran aground in May last year outside the East Nusa Tenggara province and was stuck for two days. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident.
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