Antara News, Saturday, October 23, 2010
Ende, Flores (ANTARA News) - Some 30 passengers were rescued but tens of others went missing after the motorboat they were traveling in capsized in the Flores Sea in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at around 3 on Friday afternoon.
Maumere Naval Base Commander Col Suroso Hadiwiboso said here on Saturday that the ill-fated boat was engulfed by big waves at Cape Watumana on its way from Palue island to Maumere in Sikka district on Flores island.
"The total number of passengers who had been in the boat remains unclear but according to unofficial information it carried more than 50 people when it capsized," Hadiwibowo said, adding that 30 of them were rescued while around 20 others remained missing.
He said as of Saturday morning rescue workers assisted by water police and local fishermen were still searching for the missing passengers of the ill-fated boat.
The boat was reported to have left Palue island at 4 on Friday afternoon for Maumere, but one hour after that it entered rough seas at Cape Watumana and was hit by big waves that caused it to capsize.
