19 Jun 2018

Dozens feared dead as overloaded Sumatra ferry sinks

11:42 pm on 19 June 2018

Indonesian rescuers are searching for more than 100 people missing after a ferry sank on a lake in Sumatra.

A woman cries as she finds out her family are listed as missing, at the Lake Toba ferry port in the province of North Sumatra on June 19, 2018, after a boat capsized the day before.

Photo: AFP

Eighteen survivors have been pulled from rough waters on Lake Toba, a popular tourist destination and one of the deepest lakes in the world.

The ferry was licensed to carry 60 people but officials say about 130 were on board when it went down on Monday.

Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia where safety standards are lax, correspondents say.

Rescue workers are battling rain and high winds to try to reach any remaining survivors from Monday's accident.

Family members look at a survivor list at the Lake Toba ferry port in the province of North Sumatra on June 19, 2018, after a boat capsized on June 18.

Photo: AFP

"Many people have reported their relatives missing," a local rescue official named as Budiawan told Reuters news agency.

Lake Toba fills the 450m-deep depression left by an ancient volcano eruption. Ferries run between a scenic island in the middle and towns on the shore.

This is the peak tourist season in Muslim-majority Indonesia, with millions of people travelling for the Islamic festival of Eid.

- BBC