The presumed casualty count in the tragic Indonesia ferry accident has risen to more than 190 with survivors blaming overcrowding as one of the main reasons for the sea disaster. Dozens of passengers from the ill-fated ferry which sank on Indonesia’s Lake Toba are still missing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">⛴️ Indonesia Ferry Sinks - RAW FOOTAGE<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indonesia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#indonesia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ferry?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ferry</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sink?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sink</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sinking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sinking</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sank?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sank</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/toba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#toba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/laketoba?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#laketoba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/medan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#medan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/accident?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#accident</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breaking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breaking</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/news?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/update?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#update</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/video?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#video</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/footage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#footage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/raw?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#raw</a><a href="https://twitter.com/NewsKali?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NewsKali</a> <a href="https://t.co/1mD12Aux76">pic.twitter.com/1mD12Aux76</a></p>— Kali Yuga | Apocalyptic News (@NewsKali) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsKali/status/1009024415760306176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Some passengers were able to jump off from the severely overcrowded vessel, but others are unfortunately presumed to have gone down with the ship. The incident cast a tragic pall over holidays marking the end of the Muslim holy month.
Relatives of the victims are slamming the Indonesian government for its failure to enforce basic safety measures on passenger boats. They are also pressuring the government to do more and expand the search for more than 190 passengers presumed drowned after the said ferry sank on an otherwise scenic Sumatra lake earlier this week.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Indonesia agency revises up number missing in Sumatra ferry sinking to 180 <a href="https://t.co/W196m8zwnl">https://t.co/W196m8zwnl</a></p>— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) <a href="https://twitter.com/jakpost/status/1009303289203249154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The wooden vessel was overcrowded with passengers as well as dozens of motorboats when it sailed. The boat was said to be five times over its passenger capacity of 43 while being equipped only with 45 life jackets. The trip also didn’t have a manifest.
Only 18 survivors were found so far after the search in severe weather and just within hours since the sinking on Monday evening.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Indonesian authorities had rescued 18 people by Tuesday (June 19) morning following the sinking of a ferry which had at least 80 passengers on board in Lake Toba, a popular tourist destination in North Sumatra.<a href="https://t.co/sFJ0YLyZOM">https://t.co/sFJ0YLyZOM</a></p>— UNTV News and Rescue (@UNTVNewsRescue) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNTVNewsRescue/status/1009232832214921216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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North Sumatra province police chief Paulus Waterpau said it’s possible that many of the victims were still inside the sunken ferry. He said: “’Many survivors told authorities that less than half of them had jumped into the water before the boat sank.”
The search and possible rescue operations continue with several dozen divers searching at depths of up to 50 meters. An underwater drone was deployed to 200 meters below the surface. 350 people and half a dozen boats are involved in the search operations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Video: Search on for dozens missing in Indonesia ferry sinking - The Jakarta Post <a href="https://t.co/UAqkMFJWtz">https://t.co/UAqkMFJWtz</a></p>— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) <a href="https://twitter.com/jakpost/status/1009400596007477254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Lake Toba is 1,145 kilometer-long, formed out of an ancient supervolcano. It is also a popular sightseeing destination on Sumatra island and one of the 10 stunning attractions in Indonesia that the government is targeting to develop as magnets for international tourists.
Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, as it is in other countries in Southeast Asia with similar physical attributes. Weak enforcement of safety regulations is always one of the reasons for the tragedies that could have otherwise been avoided.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another completely preventable ferry sinking makes for tragic end to holidays in Indonesia. And govt is aiming to massively boost foreign tourism when it can't even ensure the safety of its own people <a href="https://t.co/iminTKuSo2">https://t.co/iminTKuSo2</a></p>— Stephen Wright (@stephenwrightAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenwrightAP/status/1009021795456827392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/indonesia-ferry-accident-1.4713796
Twitter: #MAGA #KeepAmericaGreat! #Indonesia #FerryAccident #Overcrowding #SeaTragedy #SumatraIsland #LakeToba
