Survivors found from lost ferry

Indonesia was ready to stop looking, but the rescue of the 10 prolongs the search.

©Washington Post

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 3, 2000

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Fishermen on Sunday found 10 survivors from a capsized ferry overloaded with almost 500 refugees fleeing sectarian violence in the Maluku Islands, but rescue officials said chances were slim of finding any more.

The survivors, who had stayed afloat since the accident Thursday by clinging to each other and debris from the boat, were plucked from the water close to the islet of Karakelong, about 120 miles northeast of the city of Manado on Sulawesi island.

The four women and six men ranging in age from 12 to 29 were dehydrated and sunburned, officials said. They were about 60 miles from the ferry's last known position.

Rescue officials had been looking into reports that the ferry had been captured by Muslim guerrillas and was sighted on another island. But Sunday's discovery established that the ship sank after taking on water during a storm.

"Survivors confirmed that their ship sank after taking on water in rough seas and strong winds," Setio Rahardjo, the head of the government's search and rescue agency, told the Associated Press in Manado. "Now at least we know what happened to the ship."

As hopes of finding many more survivors faded, officials said the sinking could be Indonesia's worst maritime disaster in almost two decades.

"We can't give up. As human beings they still have a chance to survive," said Cmdr. Djoko Sudaryono, who is heading the sea and air search.

Rahardjo said the fishing boat, the Minahasa IX, would take the survivors to Linrung town on the small island of Selababu for medical treatment.

One of the survivors found Sunday, 18-year-old Orpa Matayani, gave a terrifying account of the ferry being swamped by huge waves.

Speaking to rescue officials over the radio from the fishing vessel, she said the sea poured into the hold of the ship, the Cahaya Bahari, just before it sank. Matayani said that she had no idea what happened to the rest of the passengers and that her group survived by holding fast to one another.

The ship was loaded with 492 passengers and crew even though it was certified to carry only 250 people. Officials said the ferry was equipped with 300 life vests at most -- far from enough for the passengers and crew. Survivors confirmed there were not enough life jackets for the passengers.

Many of the passengers, who pushed their way on board, were Christians fleeing a village in the Malukus where more than 100 people were killed by Muslim fighters on June 19. Thirty passengers were injured village residents being transferred to hospitals in Sulawesi.

The Indonesian military, which had planned to cease its search and rescue operations Sunday, dispatched patrol aircraft to the area where the 10 were found, but officials said there was no sign of additional survivors. Military officials said the search would continue today and may be extended for three days.

Scores of tearful relatives waiting at Manado waterfront were in shock after hearing the news of Sunday's rescue.

"Until now we had been praying that the ship was still afloat," said John Girobus, whose mother was on board. "Now we know it has sunk and only a few people have been rescued. Everyone is very worried about their families."

The Malukus, the picturesque archipelago once known as the Spice Islands, have been roiled by warfare between Muslims and Christians that began with a street fight in January 1999. Inflamed by years-old hatreds, the conflict spiraled out of control. The combatants have been fighting with homemade guns and bombs, forcing 200,000 people from their homes and leading residents to regroup in religiously divided villages and neighborhoods that are separated by barbed wire and sandbags.

Local officials have criticized the military for doing little to stop the fighting, and, in some cases, participating in the battles. The officials also said Muslim extremists who recently traveled to the Malukus from other parts of Indonesia have inflamed tensions.

The ship's owners said the captain had been forced to take on many extra passengers desperate to escape the bloodshed in the Malukus. Hundreds of other Christians from the Malukus have made the same voyage in recent weeks as the violence there escalates.

In Rome, Pope John Paul II expressed "great sorrow" for the victims and prayed for peace on the troubled Malukus.

- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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