Hundred Middle Eastern Immigrants Feared Missing After Ship Capsizes

Trenggalek, East Java, - Hundred illegal immigrants from the Middle Eastern region have gone missing and are feared dead after their boat capsized in the high seas south of Prigi, Trenggalek, East Java, on Saturday. Data about the missing, dead or survivors are still unclear but from information collected from various sources at the evacuation location at the Nusantara Fish Port in Prigi around 25 had been saved. "Based on initial data 25 have been saved but one of them is in critical condition and is now still being treated at a local health center in Watulimo," a local district administration police member, Agus Sudarto, said. The local marine police and search and rescue team who were conducting evacuation still declined to tell the exact number of those saved by local fishermen. They said data is still being collected and efforts are still being made to find other victims. "The exact location of the incident also has not yet been clear. Fishermen who have saved some survivors only said it is around 20 to 25 miles from Prigi. In short, it is around five miles from the FAD (fish aggregating device) area" one of the Prigi marine police member, second brigadier Maryani said. She said the incident was caused by overcapacity. She said the wooden boat has a capacity of only 100 passengers but at the time of incident it carried more than 250 people who are immigrants from Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. "We believe the number is higher than that. Because we were carried in four buses each having around 60 passengers. The number excludes children numbering between 30 to 50," Esmat Adine (24), one of the survivors from Afghanistan, said through an interpreter. He said the incident occurred at around 9am. Esmat did not tell in detail its chronology but only said that the boat was swaying and difficult to move. The situation caused the passengers to panic to make the boat to lose its balance and become unstable before finally sinking. Esmat said along with other adult passengers he sought safety by swimming and holding to a peace of wood before finally they were saved by some fishermen of Prigi. They were then evacuated to the Prigi port but others were still being searched. (*)