90 feared drowned as refugee boat sinks at sea

SCORES of people were feared drowned after a boat carrying about 200 refugees capsized south of Indonesia yesterday.

Ships from the Indonesian and Australian navies took part in a search for survivors from the boat which is believed to have been carrying people seeking asylum in Australia.

Around 90 people were still unaccounted for last night after an Australian patrol boat and three cargo ships rescued 110. Last night, they were taking them 120 miles south to the Australian territory of Christmas Island, said Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Jo Meehan. She said the patrol boat would return to the scene to continue the search overnight.

The boat capsized about halfway between Christmas Island and Indonesia.

Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, is closer to Indonesia than Australia. It is a popular target for refugees, many fleeing Iran, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, who attempt to reach Australia .

“There’s about 40 on the hull and the rest are in the water,” Western Australia state Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said earlier. “Some of the very early reports suggest that up to 75 people may have drowned, but I do stress that they’re unconfirmed at this stage.”

Mr O’Callaghan said bodies had been seen in the water. “We can’t confirm that they’ve died, but it’s likely,” he added.

Western Australian police were being sent to Christmas Island to help identify bodies.

Gagah Prakoso, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency, said two warships had been dispatched to scene. He said Indonesia has sent notice to all cargo ships passing near the area to help, but he was not sure whether any had reached the disaster scene. He said the boat was said to be carrying 206 people of unknown nationality.