A passenger ferry collided with a ship believed to be carrying liquefied natural gas and sank west of Indonesia’s main island early on Wednesday morning, killing at least eight people, officials said.
More than 210 passengers and crew were rescued, said Heru Purwanto, an official at Bakauheni port on southern Sumatra island. More than 80 survivors have been hospitalised, including at least one who was in critical condition.
The search for survivors continued, though it was unclear how many might still be in the water.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, or whether the South African-flagged vessel carrying the liquefied natural gas was damaged. An expert team has been deployed to check for gas leaks in the carrier, but there have so far been no reports.
The collision occurred about six kilometres from Bakaheuni port in Lampung province, said Bambang Ervan, a Transportation Ministry spokesman.
Ten nearby merchant ships quickly responded to the captain’s distress signal, sailing in from the busy Sunda Straits to help rescue passengers and crew. Just 20 minutes after the distress signal was given, the ferry sank.