Captain blames freak storm for ferry sinking

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Survivors were rescued after their ferry sank in stormy seas off Indonesia's Sumatra island. [AFP]

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'No warning' says captain

Created: 23/11/2009

Geoff Thompson, Indonesia correspondent and wires

Last Updated: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:46:00 +1100

The captain of an Indonesian ferry that sank killing 29 people has rejected claims of overcrowding and blamed a freak storm for the disaster.

Captain Johan Napitupulu says he received no warning of bad weather when he set out from Batam island, heading for Sumatra on Sunday morning.

More than 250 people have been rescued from the sea.

The search for 17 missing people is continuing off the coast of Indonesia.

While there were only 213 passengers listed on the manifest of the Dumai Express, passengers have estimated that more than 300 people may have been aboard when it sank.

Two metre high waves caused the hull to crack and there are reports of leaking lifeboats and fights between passengers and the crew over the distribution of lifejackets.

Efforts hampered

Indonesia's sea transport director-general says rescue efforts have been hampered by bad weather and waves as high as six metres.

Officials say it rolled over before capsizing about 90 minutes into its voyage.

Indonesia relies heavily on ferry services, which are the main means of passenger transport between the Riau Islands and larger Indonesian islands such as Sumatra and Java.