8 dead after boat capsizes in Indonesia

By Ainur Rohmah

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - A speedboat carrying 45 passengers capsized Monday in Sesayap River in northern Indonesia leaving eight people dead and six others missing.

Director of Marine and Coastal Guard Unity, Capt. Jhonny R. Silalahi said 31 survivors had been rescued and eight bodies recovered in North Borneo province.

"We continue the search for those missing and are shifting the injured to the nearest hospital," Silalahi said in a statement.

Anugrah Ekspress set sail Monday morning from Tanjung Selor but crashed into a tree trunk 10 minutes into the journey and capsized.

Police is investigating the incident, Silahi said.

Indonesia's waterways serve as a widespread form of transportation in some areas of the archipelago, where accidents resulting from overcrowded boats and lax safety standards are common.

Last January, 23 people were killed when a fire broke out on a ship carrying tourists from the capital Jakarta to the resort Tidung Island.