128 feared dead
The search for victims of a ferry that sank in the lake of an ancient supervolcano crater in Indonesia will resume today with divers and an underwater drone to scour the depths for at least 128 missing passengers.
The wooden tourist ferry sank in rough weather on Lake Toba on Sumatra island on Monday. Eighteen survivors were found that evening, but only one body was recovered, and a day long search was suspended yesterday having failed to account for any more.
One survivor, Widya, said her family died when the boat was hit by strong waves.
"There were at least five couples with two children each. I wish I had died with my family, but I didn't," she told Metro TV in tears.
Transportation minister Budi Karya said a team of investigators was looking into the cause of the accident.
"We believe there was a waterspout that generated strong winds and waves that destabilised the boat and caused a panic," he told reporters.
Authorities were still trying to confirm the total number of passengers, but said at least 128 people were missing, including many children.
The ferry had capacity for 60 passengers but was overloaded and also carrying dozens of motorcycles, said Sri Hardianto, an transport ministry official.
Video footage taken from another ferry showed life jackets being thrown to a dozen or more people in the water. There was no sign of the stricken ferry apart from what looked like an oil slick.
"We've asked for a remote underwater vehicle (to locate the sunken vessel) and the help of special land, sea, and air crews," Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue agency, told reporters.
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