At least seven dead after selfie attempt makes tourist boat capsize in Indonesia
- Only eleven of the overloaded boat’s 20 passengers were rescued after it capsized in a reservoir on Java island, police said
- Meanwhile, the crew of an Indonesian fishing trawler left ‘clinging to their vessel’ in bad weather have been rescued off Australia’s west coast
Seven Indonesians drowned after an overloaded boat capsized because of tourists attempting a selfie in a reservoir on Java island, police said on Sunday.
The accident happened when all 20 passengers suddenly moved to the one side of the vessel to take a group photo on Saturday in the Boyolali regency, said Central Java police chief Ahmad Lutfi.
“The cause of the accident was overcapacity,” Lutfi told reporters. “The 20 people took a selfie on the right side then the boat lost balance and flipped.”
Police added that 11 people were rescued but seven were found dead. Rescuers were searching for two people still missing.
Authorities said they will look into whether there was negligence by those managing the boat rides at the reservoir. Lutfi said that the boat was helmed by a 13-year-old.