Motorboat sinks in Indonesia, 17 dead

At least 17 people, including four children, have died after a motorboat sank off an Indonesian island.

At least 17 people, including four children, have died after a motorboat sank in choppy waters off the Indonesian island of Java, government officials say.

The 10-metre wooden vessel with 57 people on board was hit by high waves off Sumenep in East Java province on Monday, said Tholib, a spokesman for Indonesia's search and rescue agency.

Rescue teams saved 39 passengers and are searching for one missing person.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, has a patchy transportation safety record, with frequent ferry accidents often caused by overcrowding.

Last year, an overcrowded ferry with more than 200 passengers sank in Lake Toba in Sumatra. Nearly 200 people are thought to have drowned in one of the world's deepest volcanic lakes.


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Source: AAP


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Motorboat sinks in Indonesia, 17 dead | SBS News