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Indonesia: 17 Dead in Motorboat Sinking
At least 17 people, including four children, died
after a motorboat sank in choppy waters off the Indonesian island
of Java, a government official said on Tuesday.
The 10-meter (33 ft) 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 the search and rescue agency.
Rescue teams saved 39 passengers and are searching for one
missing person, he added.
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. Eighteen people survived and nearly
200 are thought to have drowned in one of the world's deepest
volcanic lakes.
Reporting by Tabita Diela
Jun 18, 2019
