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36 confirmed dead in boat tragedy

Four more bodies have been found in the waters off Java, bringing the death toll to 36 after the sinking of an asylum-seeker boat last week.

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Source: AAP


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The death toll after the sinking of an asylum-seeker boat off Java last week has risen to 36, with Indonesian authorities now conceding the search operation is now about recovering the dead rather than finding anyone else alive.

Four more bodies, including those of two children, were found on Monday morning, bringing the toll to 36 dead and authorities say more than 20 people are missing, feared drowned.

Just 28 asylum seekers have been found alive since the boat, which was carrying about 80 people from Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq, broke apart near a beach in the district of Agrabinta in West Java on Friday morning.

The Lebanese foreign ministry has confirmed there were 68 Lebanese, including children, on board the ill-fated vessel.

An official from the Indonesian search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, says the recovery operation will continue throughout Monday.

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"There's still a chance we may find more bodies so we still continue with the search today," he said.

However, authorities have already acknowledged there is very little hope of finding any more survivors.

The latest tragedy in waters between Indonesia and Australia - the first known fatal attempted crossing under the coalition government - comes amid an increase in tensions between Canberra and Jakarta over the asylum-seeker issue.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrives in Jakarta on Monday for a two-day visit, where his refugee policies are expected to be top of the agenda in discussions with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.


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