Ship collision in Indonesia kills 15

Fifteen people were killed and five others were missing after a ship carrying 156 people, including six
crew members, collided on Monday night with a ferry belonging to
state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, on the Musi River in the
Indonesia's South Sumatra, Jakarta Post daily reported on Wednesday.
South Sumatra Police spokesman M. Sulaiman confirmed the accident
on Tuesday, saying that all of the fatalities were passengers on the
traditional wooden ship KM Halimun 02.
Sulaiman said the KM Halimun 02 was on its way from Karang Agung,
Musi Banyu Asin, Palembang, to Java when it collided with the PL Otelo
at about 10 p.m. (Local time). The Pertamina-owned ferry had just left
Plaju Harbor for Sungai Lais Harbor to pick up employees of the
company.
The accident occurred near marine and water police posts, some 10
kilometers north of Palembang.
Sulaiman said as many as 24 members of a search and rescue team
had been deployed to search for the five missing people.
"The captains of the two vessels are in police custody for further
questioning," he said, identifying the captain of the KM Halimun 02 as
Mat Nur bin Jungkil and the captain of the PL Otelo as Abu Husin bin
Syamsuddin.
Husni Majeri, the spokesman for Pertamina's provincial branch
office, said the KM Halimun 02 had failed to turn on its lights.
"We (Pertamina) are providing coffins and making arrangements to
transport the corpses to their respective hometowns," he said.

irna.com