17 Missing in Indonesia Fishing Boat, Cargo Ship Collision

Residents look on as members of National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) prepare for a search mission for the victims of a ship collision, at a port in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia, April 4, 2021.

Seventeen people are missing after a cargo ship and a fishing boat collided off the Indonesia’s main island of Java, authorities said Sunday.

The accident happened late Saturday when the wooden fishing boat with 32 people on board capsized after hitting the Indonesian carrier MV Habco Pioneer, officials of Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency said.

Rescue teams were able to evacuate 15 survivors who sustained minor injuries. They were transported to an area hospital for medical attention.

Rescues were still searching for the 17 missing fishermen.

The cargo vessel was loaded with crude oil from the Indonesian island of Borneo.

Boat accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of about 17,000 islands, due to lax safety standards.