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Ferry sinks off Indonesia island Ferry sinks off Indonesian island
(about 2 hours later)
A passenger ferry has capsized off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving at least 23 people dead, officials say.A passenger ferry has capsized off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, leaving at least 23 people dead, officials say.
The ship went down on Thursday night about 500m off the south-eastern town of Baubau. The Acita III went down on Thursday night about 500m (0.31 miles) off the south-eastern city of Baubau.
About 125 people were rescued, reports say, after local people heard screams and went to help. Rescue teams were searching the area for more survivors. Some 125 people were rescued after local people heard screams and went to help, officials said. Rescue teams are searching the area for more survivors.
The cause of the accident is not known, but reports suggest the vessel was carrying too many passengers. The cause of the accident has not been confirmed, but local officials said the ferry had been seriously overcrowded.
"Preliminary investigations have indicated that the ship may have sunk because passengers piled onto one side... tipping its balance and causing it to roll over," transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan told Reuters news agency. The head of the local rescue team said the ferry had tipped over as it was coming into shore, when scores of passengers suddenly climbed onto the upper deck to get mobile phone signals.
Boat travel is an important mode of transport between Indonesia's many islands, but accidents are frequent due to poor safety standards and overloading. Roki Kendari said the wooden boat should not have been carrying more than 30 people.
More than 40 people died when a fire broke out aboard a ferry travelling from Jakarta in February and at least 400 people were killed when a ferry sank in a storm off Java in December. Rescue teams have been using speedboats to search for more survivors, while the injured have been taken to a nearby hospital in south-east Sulawesi.
The BBC's Rebecca Henschke in Jakarta says it is the peak holiday season in Indonesia, with millions of people travelling across the archipelago to celebrate the local Islamic festival of Liburan.
Ferries are the main cheap source of transport in a country of 17,000 islands, but overcrowding and poorly enforced safety standards mean accidents are common, our correspondent says.
More than 40 people died when a fire broke out aboard a ferry travelling from Jakarta in February, and at least 400 people were killed when a ferry sank in a storm off Java in December.