Indonesia: 15 missing after fishing boat capsizes

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - At least three patrols boats were deployed Sunday to search for 15 people missing after a fishing boat capsized in the Java Sea.

The National Disaster Management Agency says the boat was carrying 27 crew when it was hit by a Vietnam-flagged vessel on Saturday morning off the coast of Tuban, East Java.

The Head of Tuban Regency's regional disaster management agency told Anadolu Agency on Sunday that ships from the navy, the harbormaster, and Pertamina oil company were involved in the search.

"Since Sunday morning, three groups from the SAR [search and rescue] team were looking for the remaining victims within a radius of 17 miles [27 kilometers] to 20 miles from the shore," said Joko Ludiyono by phone.

He added that although low cloud covered the area there was little wind and the sea was calm.

"But there is no indication that the victims will be found," he said.

It was the second such disaster in Indonesian waters in November.

Earlier this month, 54 people died after a boat carrying 98 migrant workers and three crew crashed into a reef and sank in Batam -- a small island in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago in the South China Sea.