39 passengers still missing from capsized ferry in Indonesia

Indonesian rescue teams have found 12 more passengers from a ferry that capsized off North Sumatra, bringing the number of survivors to 94 with at least 39 others still unaccounted for, a report said Saturday.

The Surya Makmur Indah ferry, bound for Nias Island from Sibolga port with 133 passengers and crew, sank during a storm late Wednesday night, reported The Jakarta Post newspaper.

Officials confirmed that three foreigners -- U.S. citizens Trevor Righter and Thom Gilnert and Australian David Androw -- were not on the ship, despite initial reports.

Sibolga Port administrator Frits Agamsyah said Friday the three left Sibolga for Nias on the similarly named Surya Makmur Jaya ferry, which arrived safely on the island Thursday.

"Information that the three foreigners are safe was received by the ferry agent staff who took them to Gunungsitoli in Nias. The staff said the three were in Teluk Dalam district on a tour," Frits said.

He said the actual number of missing was probably much higher.

"From our data, many passengers on board the ship did not purchase tickets, making the real number of passengers higher than the listed passengers."

He said it was common practice for passengers to board the ship without tickets, because they knew they could pay a smaller amount when officials did their rounds.

The Sibolga-Nias route is currently served by seven ferries, five of which are privately owned.

Chief of Sibolga Naval Base Lt. Col. Jaka Santoso, said that based on its data, there were 120 passengers and 13 crew on board the ferry, and 94 survivors were confirmed as of Friday afternoon.

The search Friday was hampered by bad weather, with smaller ships forced to return to port.

No dead bodies have been found around the hull of the ship, which was located at a depth of 50 meters underwater.

Source: Xinhua