JAKARTA: Three people died and six were missing after their boat crashed into a fish trap Tuesday while sailing in bad weather and strong seas near Indonesia’s Sumatra island, a navy officer said.
"Five people survived the accident and two of our patrol boats are searching for six other people," Bagansiapiapi navy post commander Navy Second Lieutenant Mufit said while talking to a French news agency.
He said the small wooden boat with 14 people struck a fish trap just half an hour after it set sail on midnight on Monday, half a mile off the coast of Bagansiapiapi in Riau province.
Bad weather, fuelling big waves and strong winds, has plagued the region since earlier this week, Mufit said.
The boat was ferrying passengers between coastal towns on Sumatra’s east coast since roads are in poor condition or non-existant.
Indonesia is an archipelago nation of some 17,480 islands, where both sea and air links are crucial, but safety standards are notoriously lax.
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