More than 400 Indonesians evacuated after ferries hit reef: official

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - More than 400 Indonesians were evacuated to safety from two ferries that plunged into a coral reef off Sulawesi island on Friday, a rescue official said.

"We have evacuated 420 passengers out of all 450 passengers aboard the two ferries which hit reefs this morning," said Roki Asikin, chief of Southeast Sulawesi's provincial rescue office.

"We are now transporting the remaining 30 passengers... There are no victims in this accident thanks to swift action from the rescue team," he told AFP.

One of the two ferries travelled off-course due to human error and the second followed in its wake several minutes later, Asikin said.

The Tagori and Super Jet provide a daily service from the South Sulawesi capital of Kendari to the port of Bau Bau.

They were travelling up to 25 nautical miles (29 kilometres) per hour when the accident occurred, he added.

A ferry sank last month off Bau Bau, which is around 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) northeast of Indonesia's capital Jakarta, killing 31 people and leaving about 30 missing.

Indonesia is an archipelago nation of some 17,480 islands where both sea and air links are crucial, but safety standards are notoriously lax.