An Indonesian ferry packed with hundreds of refugees fleeing violence in the ravaged Spice Islands sank yesterday and it was not clear whether anyone had survived,rescue officials said.
Officials said the ship had a capacity of 200 passengers but around 500 were believed to have been aboard after hundreds of refugees fought their way onto the ferry on the island of Halmahera, scene of bloody religious violence this month.
“There were about 198 passengers and crew on top of around 290 refugees,”Selaman,head of the search and rescue team in the north Sulawesi capital of Manado,told reporters.
