Jakarta, Sept. 23 (SANA) The death toll from a passenger ferry that capsized in Indonesia’s Java Sea has risen to 20, with 115 people still missing as rescue teams continue searching for survivors, Reuters reported Wednesday.
National Search and Rescue Agency Chief Muhammad Abdul Shafi said eight bodies had been recovered from inside the overturned vessel over the past three days, while two others washed ashore in Central Kalimantan, about 253 kilometers from the site of the sinking.
Authorities have rescued 108 people and extended search and rescue operations until Sunday, Shafi said.
Efforts are also underway to right the ferry, which remains overturned.
Indonesia, an archipelago of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries for transport, but maritime accidents occur regularly and safety standards are not always strictly enforced.
R.H/Abd
