128 still missing in Lake Toba ferry incident

Sumatra: Indonesian rescue workers struggled in the rain and amid 2m-high waves yesterday to look for at least 128 passengers from an overloaded ferry that sank in Lake Toba, a tourist destination in an ancient super-volcano crater on Sumatra island.

An estimated 18 people were rescued and one passenger was confirmed dead after the ferry sank on Monday evening when it was overcome by rough weather. “Many people have reported their relatives missing,” Mr Budiawan, head of the search and rescue agency based in the nearby city of Medan, said.

The search and rescue agency was sending divers to look for victims in the lake’s depths, he said.

Photo: Reuters Grief-stricken relatives waiting for news about missing family members who were on a ferry that sank on Monday night in Lake Toba, Sumatra.