Indonesia boat collision kills 2 fishermen, 15 missing

Jakarta, April 4

A collision between a cargo ship and a fishing boat killed at least two fishermen and left 15 missing off Indonesia’s main island of Java, officials said Sunday.

The fishing boat capsized late Saturday with 32 aboard after hitting the Indonesian bulk carrier MV Habco Pioneer off Indramayu district, said Deden Ridwansyah, the head of the search and rescue agency.

He said rescuers recovered two bodies on Sunday — one trapped in a fishing net about a meter (yard) beneath the surface, and another from inside the sunken vessel at 11 meters (36 feet) underwater.

The remaining 15 crew were rescued, and local fishermen and the navy were searching for the missing, said Wisnu Wardana, a spokesperson for the sea transportation directorate general.

The cargo ship, which was loaded with crude oil from Borneo island, is now moored after its propeller got caught in the fishing net, Ridwansyah said.

Sea accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, due to poor safety enforcement.— AP