Indonesia: Another boat accident occurs in Lake Toba

One person was reported missing and four others were rescued when a boat capsized in Indonesia’s Lake Toba on June 22 evening, just days after another boat sank in the lake in Sumatra.

Emergency responders searched Lake Toba, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, on June 21, days after an overcrowded ferry sank there

The accident occurred after the engine of the passenger boat, named KM Ramos Risma Marisi, broke down when sailing to Nainggolan port in Samosir, an island at the centre of the world’s biggest volcanic lake.

It was the second boat accident at Lake Toba within one week after KM Sinar Bangun ferry, which was suspected to have been carrying more than 200 passengers and 60 vehicles, capsized on its way to Tigaras port. Only 18 people survived in the incident while three people have been found dead and at least 192 others remained missing.

The wooden boat KM Ramos Risma Marisi was carrying five passengers when it encountered technical problems with its engine at around 21:00 (local time) after dropping off several passengers at the nearby Sibandang island.

Head of the search and rescue agency Budiawan said the search team would continue its operation to look for the mission passenger after it stopped on June 22 evening due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, the search for the 192 other passengers missing in the earlier accident is continuing.

The 3,000-square-kilometre lake, which is the largest volcanic lake in the world, is a popular spot for local and international tourists.

Boat and ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.

VNA