TRENGGALEK, Indonesia – At least 217 people were missing, and possibly scores more, after an overcrowded boat packed with illegal immigrants heading for Australia sank in heavy seas off the coast of east Java in Indonesia, authorities said yesterday.
Many of the passengers on the wooden vessel are believed to be economic migrants from countries including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Indonesia is a transit point for illegal immigrants from the Middle East who cross the Indian Ocean in search of a better life in Australia.
Indonesian authorities gave differing accounts of the number of people missing and the possible casualty toll.
Sahrul Arifin, head of emergency and logistics at the East Java Disaster Mitigation Centre, said only 76 people of 380 aboard had been rescued.
The boat was wrecked in strong seas about 90km (56 miles) out to sea, officials said.
“Our search and rescue team have begun sweeping the water around where the accident took place but we are now sending body bags,” Mr Arifin said.
However, Hariyadi Purnomo, a search and rescue spokesman in East Java, said 217 were missing and 33 people had been rescued. Rescue site co-ordinator Kelik Enggar Purwanto said those rescued included a woman. Several of the others were boys aged eight to 10.
Mr Purwanto said the boat sank on Saturday morning and had a capacity of about 100 people. He said survivors were found clinging to the wreckage.
“We see no signs of further survivors or casualties and now we’re focusing the search east of where the survivors were found yesterday. Based on a statement from the victims, waves hit the side of the boat, breaking it in half and then it capsized,” Mr Purwanto said. “Fishermen found them about 20 miles from the shore when the waves were as high as two to three metres.”
Television showed pictures of more than a dozen shocked survivors huddled in a clinic in Trenggalek, a town on Java’s south coast. Immigration officials were interviewing survivors.
“Extreme weather has caused reduced visibility, making the rescue process difficult,” Brian Gautama, a search and rescue member at the site, was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara. Any survivors had to be found fast, he said. “They can’t stay for long in the middle of the sea.”
One survivor told authorities four buses with about 60 or more adult passengers each had turned up at the port where they embarked, Antara said, giving no further details.
“The reason for our journey is that I, along with the rest of the people on the boat, wanted to seek asylum in Australia,” one Iraqi survivor said.
Australian-based refugee advocate Ian Rintoul said the blame for the disaster lay squarely with the Australian government which had pressured Indonesia, from where most migrant boats leave, into taking a harsh stance against people smuggling. This year Indonesia enacted a law making people-smuggling punishable by a minimum of five years in jail, he said.
“What it means is that people come into Indonesia and are desperate to get out . . . That happens under the radar. It used to happen much more in the open,” said Mr Rintoul.
Boat people are a big political issue in Australia, although according to UN figures the number of asylum seekers reaching Australia is tiny in comparison with other countries.
Australian home affairs minister Jason Clare called the disaster a tragedy but blamed the people smugglers. “They are in the business to make money and don’t care if it kills people,” he said.
Australia-based refugee advocate Jack Smit said the boat appeared to have been overloaded. He suggested an inexperienced people-smuggling operator trying to make money quickly might be involved.
Indonesia is in its wet season, when its waters are prone to storms, making the journey even more hazardous.
Mr Smit said people usually pay between $3,000 and $8,000 to get on such a vessel, which is often poorly equipped for the dangerous voyage to Australia.
People-smuggling syndicates are often run from the Middle East, exploiting family contacts. – (Reuters)