Boat sinks in Bangka waters, eight missing

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 01/14/2009 7:58 PM

Police are still looking for eight missing crew members of a boat, which was carrying staple foods, that sank in waters off the coast of Bangka Belitung on early Wednesday morning.

Adj. Snr. Comr. Purwoko, head of the Bangka Belitung Water Police, said that the search team was having difficulties with strong winds and high waves in the area. There were 12 people on the boat.

"Four of them have been taken to the hospital," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Purwoko said that the boat was on its way to Pangkalanbalam Port, Bangka, from Jakarta when it sank 15 kilometers from the port at around 1 a.m. (dre)