INDONESIA: Indonesian ferry survivors found at sea nine days after sinking

An Indonesian cargo ship on Monday (January 8) brought 14 survivors to Makassar after rescuing them from a rubber raft nine days after their ferry sank during a journey between Java and Sulawesi. The latest rescue brings the total number of survivors to 248. The Senopati Nusantara ferry with more than 600 aboard capsized on December 30 but many more were still unaccounted for and the ferry has yet to be found. A spokesman for the navy's Eastern fleet said most survivors were passengers who had stayed on deck and were not inside cabins when the ship sank. The cargo ship spotted 15 people clinging to a life raft after drifting for almost 600 kilometres. Officials said one person died soon after being rescued, but the rest were taken to the port city of Makassar on Sulawesi for treatment. A dozen ambulances took the survivors to a hospital for treatment. "We stayed alive by surviving on rainwater and eating seaweed," said Sigit, a 25-year-old survivor, while receiving treatment at the hospital. Other survivors from the Senopati Nusantara expressed happiness at being rescued. "I am glad that Inshallah I am safe and able to see my children," said 35-year-old Sugiono, who is from central Java. Rescuers are still looking for more survivors or bodies in the waters off Java and Sulawesi.

ITN Source | January 9, 2007

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