Indonesia: Nine dead after a ferry sank

Nine bodies were found following a ferry capsizing near the coast of an Indonesian island. The ferry was on its way to Halmahera island and capsized due to bad weather conditions.

The number is expected to grow as four other people remain missing out of the 77 passengers that were on the ferry.

The first four bodies were found on Wednesday evening and the remaining five were found on Sunday.

The remaining sixty-four people were evacuated to a nearby village following the accident.

At least nine bodies have been found after a ferry sank off the coast of an Indonesian island due to bad weather, a search and rescue official said Thursday. #BangkokPost #World https://t.co/YSyvvj6duL
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) July 21, 2022

With some 17,000 islands in the vast archipelago, Indonesia is a country that relies heavily on water transportation. But it doesn't come without risks, and maritime accidents with high death tolls are quite common in the Southeast Asian country.

Last May, a ferry carrying more than 800 people got stranded near East Nusa Tenggara province and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged.

No one was hurt in that accident. In 2018, more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world's deepest lakes on Sumatra island.

Yesterday, a similar incident was reported in Pakistan, where a boat carrying 50 passengers sank due to overcrowding.