Ferry disaster: Divers, underwater drone join search

Divers and an underwater drone on Wednesday joined a fleet of rescue vessels in Indonesia’s search for no fewer than 192 passengers missing two days after an overcrowded wooden ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest volcanic lakes in Sumatra.

Authorities are unable to confirm how many were aboard when the vessel sank on Monday in bad weather, since it did not have a manifest.

Four were confirmed dead and 18 survivors picked up, but officials fear the death toll could be much higher.

Search teams expect to find many more trapped victims once they know where the vessel came to rest in the lake, which is 450 m (1,500 feet) deep.

“We have the coordinates from when it sank, but we need to verify them,” Budiawan, a search and rescue official, said.

A team of 25 divers, including marines, was searching for the vessel, along with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that can operate up to a depth of 380m (1,247 ft), he added.

“The first team of divers encountered poor visibility and freezing cold when it got to a depth of 50 meters (164 ft),’’ Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue agency said.

Rescue teams in boats carrying GPS devices, binoculars, life jackets and oxygen tanks for survivors, have found little on the lake’s surface.

Santika, 28, was in tears as she awaited news of her cousin and the latter’s fiance who were on the ferry, returning from a holiday before the couple’s wedding, planned for next week.

“Everything was ready for their wedding.

“We’re disappointed because there were too many passengers for the (ship’s) capacity.

“The ferry should have been supervised and checked if it was seaworthy or not,” Santika said.

Dozens of angry relatives demanded answers from authorities as the search was called off for the night.