200 Feared Drowned in Indonesia

As many as 200 people are feared dead after a ferry capsized in rough seas off eastern Indonesia, a rescue official said today.

The 150-ton KMP Digul sank on Thursday night off the coast of Papua province while heading from the port town of Merauke to Tanah Merah, about 200km (124 miles) to the north, according to emergency services in the region.

The ferry was officially reported to be carrying 50 crew and passengers. But survivors said about 200 people were on board, Sumpeno Juono, of the local search and rescue agency, told the Associated Press. So far, only 15 people - two crewmen and 13 passengers - have been found.

Mr Sumpeno said the ferry - which was also carrying vehicles, heavy equipment and 40 tonnes of diesel oil - did not have any safety equipment and sank quickly.

"We believe the number of missing passengers could reach almost 200," said Mr Sumpeno, who had little hope of finding any more survivors.

Rescue operations were hampered today by heavy rains and 4 metre-high (13ft) waves, he said.

Boat accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where safety rules are poorly enforced and rescue vessels are often unavailable. Merauke is about 3,800km (2,360 miles) east of the capital, Jakarta.

Today, Hong Kong seismologists reported that an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale had struck the Sulawesi region of Indonesia at 8.05am, just after midnight UK time. Its epicentre was around 1,000 miles west of the boat accident.

It was not immediately clear if the quake led to any casualties or damage. Indonesia has been repeatedly rocked by quakes since the massive temblor on December 26, which produced a deadly tsunami. The Indian Ocean disaster killed more than 176,000 people in 11 countries, and left about 50,000 missing and hundreds of thousands homeless.