Two children have become the first victims found following a ferry accident in central Indonesia, an official said on Sunday, as search and rescue teams continue scouring the rough seas for survivors, AFP reports.
A total of 23 people have so far been pulled from the water alive off Sulawesi island, where a passenger ferry carrying 118 people ran into trouble in a violent storm late Saturday, transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata said.
A search vessel found 19 people alive on Sunday morning in the choppy sea - where wave heights have reached five meters, hindering rescue efforts - but two bodies were also retrieved.