Boat carrying 78 people sinks in western Indonesia, leaving 11 dead and several missing

The Pekanbaru Search and Rescue Agency has reported that 11 bodies, mainly belonging to women and children, have been retrieved, and 58 people have been rescued.

Many of those saved were unconscious after spending hours in choppy waters. Local television footage shows survivors standing on an overturned boat, attempting to reach a fishing vessel.

The vessel, called the Evelyn Calista 01, was transporting 72 passengers, mostly individuals returning from Eid al-Fitr celebrations in their hometowns, along with six crew members.

The boat sank on Thursday afternoon, three hours after leaving Tembilahan port in the Indragiri Hilir Regency in Riau province. The vessel was heading for Tanjung Pinang city in a neighboring province in the Riau Islands chain, a 200-kilometer (124-mile) voyage.

The cause of the sinking is still under investigation, but survivors have indicated that the boat swayed suddenly and capsized after striking a large log while sailing in strong winds, according to local officials.

Boat accidents are frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often utilized as transport, and safety regulations can be inadequate. In 2018, an overcrowded ferry sank in a deep volcanic crater lake in North Sumatra province, causing 167 deaths. (ILKHA)