An Indonesian ferry carrying more than 270 people reportedly sank off Indonesia’s Sumatra Island yesterday, an AFP report said.

At the time of writing, 26 deaths, including two children, had been reported as well as the rescue of 250 people. 

The ‘Dumai Express’ sank due to bad weather; a phenomenon common with the onset of the year end monsoon season and ordinarily characterised by torrential rain and gusty winds in South East Asia.

The vessel went down at (0300GMT) off Karimun Island as it set sail from Batam island to Pekanbaru in Indonesia’s Riau province, off Sumatra, near Singapore. 

"The boat sank likely due to heavy rain and big waves and it is difficult to get to them because of bad weather conditions,” the reported quoted local official Boy Herlambangas saying.

The ship’s manifest listed 213 passengers and 13 crew members including the ship’s captain.

One survivor, known only as Kristin, said that there were not enough life jackets on the vessel.

“I saw children running here and there on the ferry as they tried to escape but there weren’t enough life jackets.”

“We worry the number of killed will increase,” another AFP reported quoted the District chief of Karimun, Nurdin Basirn, as saying. 

Jaya Prakash