10 killed, 5 missing after boat capsizes in western Indonesia

A boat carrying 17 people sank in western Indonesia on Sunday, leaving 10 people dead, two wounded and five others missing, navy spokesman said.

The incident took place after the vessel departed from a port in Tanjung Pinang of Riau province, said Navy Spokesman Admiral Edi Sucipto, adding that bad weather was blamed for the disaster.

Navy command in western Indonesia undertook the evacuation just after the incident, Sucipto told Xinhua by phone.

Two passengers are in critical condition and have been shifted to the navy hospital in the province, Sucipto added.

Search and rescue operation for the missing passengers is underway now, led by the navy command, he said.

Indonesia's 255 million people are spread across more than 17,000 islands and are heavily dependent on boats for transport, but the country has a poor maritime safety record.
  [Xinhua -china.org.cn]
22/8/16