An overcrowded ferry sank off of Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island on Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead and another 19 missing, say authorities.
Of 40 passengers on board, six survived, said the national search and rescue agency in their statement.
The cause of the sinking, which occurred at about midnight, was still unclear.
Muhammad Arafah, who heads the local search and rescue agency, said the ferry capsized off the coast.
“All the victims have been identified and handed over to the families while the survivors are now being treated in local hospitals,” he added.
Photos shared by the rescue agency showed victims’ bodies covered in cloth on the floor of the local hospital.
The vessel was ferrying people across a bay in Muna island, about 200km (124 miles) south of Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi province.
Ferries are a common mode of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents are common as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.
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