RESCUERS EVACUATE 232 VICTIMS OF SINKING SHIP

Karimun, Riau Islands, Nov 22 (ANTARA) - A total of 232 victims of "Dumai Express 10" which went down in Tukong Iyu waters, Kairmun district, Riau Islands province, had been evacuated on Sunday.

"According to the rescue team. up to 5 pm, about 232 victims of the ill-fated vessel have been evacuated, but four of them have died," Anwar Hasyim, Karimun regional administration secretary said here on Sunday evening.

He said that of the 228 survivors, 13 had to undergo medical treatment at the Karimun general hospital.

Most of them were passengers from North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau and Batam. While this report was still being filed, evacuation was still in progress.

One of the survivors, Riki, said the ship left Supang seaport of Batam for Dumai at 8 am on Sunday. "The accident occurred at about 10 am," he said.

A reliable source said earlier that the vessel left Sekupang port in Batam for Dumai at around 7.30 a.m. with 213 passengers on the manifest.

The cause of the accident is still unknown. But Basri Muhammad, a former sailor, believed the vessel sank after big waves hit it.

The head of the Karimun district transportation service, Cendra Nawazir, said the vessel sank in the Tukong Iyu waters when en route to Dumai in Riau Islands province on Sunday.

The vessel normally called at the Tanjung Balai domestic port in Karimun, but this it failed to show up.

"The exact number of passengers of the ill-fated vessel is still unknown, except that the accident occurred in Tukong Ayu waters north of Karimun Besar Island," he said.