Rescuers search for 22 missing in Indonesia ferry accident

Rescuers were today searching for 22 people missing after a passenger boat sank in eastern Indonesia, nearly double the number announced previously.

Rescuers were on Saturday searching for 22 people missing after a passenger boat sank in eastern Indonesia, nearly double the number announced previously.

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The ferry, called Karya Terang, sank on Friday afternoon during bad weather in East Nusa Tenggara province.

"We're still searching for 22 missing people. We've found 44 people and they all survived," Kupang search and rescue chief Herman Da Gomes said.

Rescuers had originally said only 12 people were missing, but revised the toll and the total number of passengers on board the boat to 66.

"About 50 people, consisting of rescue teams, marine police, navy members and fishermen, are searching for the missing people," he said.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on maritime services but the industry has a poor safety record and fatal accidents are common.

Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded ferry sank off Sulawesi Island in January last year.