Indonesia: 17 missing in cargo ship, fishing boat collision

A collision between a cargo ship and a fishing boat has left 17 people missing off Indonesia’s main island of Java, officials said.

Fifteen crew of the fishing boat, the Barokah Jaya, were evacuated after Saturday’s crash, but five divers are searching for the remaining 17, Yusuf Latif, the spokesman of the agency, Basarnas, said in a statement on Sunday.

“We’re still conducting the search,” Yusuf said, adding that an agency rescue ship had taken the survivors on board.

The crash happened at 09:30 GMT, Yusuf said.

The other vessel was the bulk carrier Habco Pioneer, which has a capacity of nearly 30,000 tonnes. Both vessels are Indonesia-flagged.

There were no reports of casualties or missing crew on the Habco Pioneer, owned by tugboats and barges company PT Habco Primatama.