KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) ? An overloaded ferry capsized after hitting rocks in a remote river in Malaysia's part of tropical, jungle-clad Borneo island on Tuesday, leaving an unknown number of people missing, police said. Some survivors swam ashore, and a search was underway.
The vessel was believed to be carrying much more than its recommended limit of 74 passengers, said Bakar Sibau, a district police chief in Malaysia's Sarawak state.
Bakar said there appeared to be dozens of survivors, but he could not give precise figures. Some people swam ashore, and police divers, fire department officers and villagers nearby were working to find missing passengers.
Bakar said by telephone, "We hope they (the missing) will be OK."
The boat was packed because many people in Sarawak state are heading to their home villages for a harvest festival holiday that Borneo's indigenous tribes will celebrate later this week, Bakar said.
The accident occurred midway through a roughly 130-kilometer (80-mile) journey that usually takes about three hours.
Rivers form the main transportation network for hundreds of thousands of people in sprawling Sarawak. Public concerns about safety, including the enforcement of rules for ferry capacity, have occasionally emerged, but major boat accidents in Sarawak are rare.
Borneo island is divided among three countries: Indonesian territory in the south, two Malaysian states in the north and tiny Brunei on the north coast.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ferry-capsizes-malaysian-river-missing-060216979.html
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