An Indonesian passenger ship that capsized off the island of Sulawesi left 15 dead and six missing, a transport ministry official said today.
The small wooden ship, carrying 71 passengers and 11 crew, sank yesterday night just before reaching the town of Baubau in south-eastern Sulawesi.
"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," he said.
The safety record of Indonesian passenger ships and ferries, widely used to connect the islands in the archipelago, is poor, with vessels often overloaded and in poor condition.