| January 11 2009 |
|
BATURORO - The motor vessel Teratai Prima, which was on its way from Pare Pare in Southern Sulawesi to Samarinda in East Kalimantan (Borneo), has sunk in the waters of Baturoro, West Sulawesi. There were some 250 passengers and 17 crewmembers on board. The death toll is 6 at the moment and 151 people are on board of another ship at the moment. Bambang said; also told he did not know yet where the people will be brought to by the rescue teams. During the rescue operation, the department of Transport has ordered a patrol boat, a navigation ship and a search and rescue boat to the location. The cause of the accident is not known yet. Bambang told that the ship had not actually sunk. "The ship didn't sink, it only turned over." Saharuddin, one of the survivors of the accident, said that the ship was pounded by high waves when it started making water. Just five minutes later the ship was already leaning about half a meter. It didn't take much time for the ship to sink. "I floated in the water for some three hours. I was still able to help three other passengers," said the father of four. His wife and children are among the people still missing. |