Indonesian rescue teams are searching for survivors after a ferry carrying about 500 people sank off the coast of Java during a storm early on Saturday.
Indonesian rescue teams are searching for survivors after a ferry carrying about 600 people sank off the coast of Java during a storm early on Saturday.
Naval boats have been relaunched and poor weather conditions which were severely hampering the rescue effort are said to have improved slightly.
Naval boats and several aircraft are combing the area where the ship lost radio contact with port authorities. Severe weather has hampered operations.
About 70 people have been accounted for, many picked up by local fishing boats patrolling the safer waters.
At least 100 people have been accounted for, many picked up by local fishing boats patrolling safer waters.
The ship was travelling from the port of Kumai, Borneo, to Semarang in Java.
People have been known to survive for days in Indonesia's tropical waters.
A local police chief said the boat had only 200 listed passengers but most reports say the real number aboard the vessel was more than double that.
The vessel, Senopati Nusantara, was carrying 628 people including 57 crew when it sank, according to Indonesia's Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa.
I was going upstairs to try to help my daughter, but the ship suddenly broke up and I was thrown out - I lost her Cholid, a survivor
He said vessel, built in Japan in 1990, was seaworthy and had a capacity of more than 850 passengers.
"We will continue the search operation, normally until seven days, but it can be extended until we are sure that we have made our utmost efforts," he said.
Four naval ships, several other vessels and at least two aircraft have been combing the area since dawn from where the ship lost radio contact with port authorities.
Life vest 'shortage'
The boat is thought to have sunk about 40 km (24 miles) off Mandalika island, about 300 km (190 miles) north-east of the capital, Jakarta. It was travelling from the port of Kumai, Borneo, to Semarang in Java.
One survivor, who lost his two children, told Reuters news agency that the ship had started to roll over after struggling in high seas and heavy rains.
"Suddenly the lights went off and it became dark. The ship's crew tossed lifejackets... some could not get any but I got one," said 53-year-old Waluyo.
"I tried to get into a rubber boat but many people also did the same thing, so the rubber boat was torn... Finally I grabbed the edge of another rubber boat."
Another survivor, who gave his name as Cholid, said there were not enough life jackets and that passengers had fought over them as the boat capsized.
"I was going upstairs to try to help my daughter, but the ship suddenly broke up and I was thrown out. I lost her," he told AP news agency.
Ships and ferries are a cheap and popular means of transport between the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia.
Ships and ferries are a cheap and popular means of transport between the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia.
Correspondents say safety standards are not always enforced and vessels frequently carry more passengers than they are meant to.
Correspondents say safety standards are not always enforced and vessels frequently carry more passengers than they are meant to.
Life vest 'shortage'
The boat is thought to have sunk about 40 km (24 miles) off Mandalika island, about 300 km (190 miles) north-east of the capital, Jakarta.
According to a naval official interviewed by the BBC, the ship's crew contacted the coastguard shortly after midnight to say they had lost control of the vessel.
A survivor interviewed by the Associated Press news agency said passengers on the boat began praying as the waves rose around them.
The survivor, who gave his name as Cholid, said passengers also fought over life jackets as the boat capsized.
"I was going upstairs to try to help my daughter, but the ship suddenly broke up and I was thrown out. I lost her," he said.
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