Indonesian cargo ship sinks after collision; baby among 11 rescued but 9 still missing

Indonesian cargo ships collide; 9 missing

MAKASSAR, Indonesia — Rescuers saved 11 people, including a 1-year-old girl, from choppy waters off central Indonesia but searched Thursday for nine others still missing from a ship that sank after colliding with another cargo vessel.

The Trisal Pratama sank shortly after the collision Wednesday near Selayar island off South Sumatra province, Makassar port chief Afrianus Tapangan said.

Survivors included a crew member who swam without a lifejacket while holding the baby, whose parents were navigators aboard the ship, he said. The man said the baby’s mother had given the child to him for safekeeping.

The baby’s parents and 3-year-old brother were missing, along with six crew members from the ship, which was carrying 2,000 tons of cement from Makassar to Flores island.

All 14 crew members on the other vessel, which was carrying scrap metal from Papua to Makassar, survived the accident, Tapangan said.

Boats and ferries are a main source of transportation in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands with a population of 235 million. Overcrowding and poorly enforced safety regulations result in frequent accidents.