17 killed, 1 missing after passenger boat capsizes in waters off central Indonesia

JAKARTA–The number of death toll of a sinking boat in water off western Indonesia's East Java province on Monday climbed to 17 with another still missing, a senior rescuer said on Tuesday.

The boat heading to Kalianget sub-district overturned in waters off Sumenep after departing from Raas Island of Raas sub-district, head of the operational section of the provincial search and rescue office Al-Amrat said. Both of the sub-districts are situated in Sumenep district.

As many as 39 people survived the sea incident, the rescuer told Xinhua over phone from the water off Sumenep. Dozens of personnel from the local search and rescue office are persisting search and rescue mission for the missing person, four divers also joined the mission, he said.

Al-Amrat said the rescuers carrying out the mission also cooperate with sailors from the nearby coastal areas.

Boat is an effective and the favorite transport means in the vast-archipelagic nation, but crews have often not fully lived up to the safety standard, which endangers the journey at sea.