We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
A ferry sailing from Batam Port in Indonesia sank recently causing the death of at least 29 people, while hundreds more were dragged from the water by local fishing boat crews and navy vessels. Many passenger accident claims are likely as a result.
The Dumai Express ferry sank in heavy rain and huge swells off Karimum Island, near Singapore.
The health ministry’s crisis centre reported that there had been 291 passengers on board, 29 bodies were found and 245 people were saved, but 17 people are still missing.
According to newspaper reports overcrowding on Indonesian island ferries is a common problem. The Dumai Express had a full capacity of 273 passengers and crew.
The captain denied that the boat was overloaded and not fit to sail. He told reporters that the weather had been fine when they left port and that he had had no warning it would turn worse as they sailed.
Despite official promises to tighten and enforce safety regulations in Indonesia, ferry accidents are still a common occurrence with corruption being a major reason. Ship owners sell more tickets than they have places on board and also pack the ferries with extra cargo.
Sea transport, director general, Mr Sunaryo, said an accident investigation is underway to determine if overloading was a contributory factor in the sinking. It is unclear as of yet whether any tourists were aboard the ferry and whether any passenger accident claims for personal injury compensation will be lodged with the ferry’s owners.