Casualties mount as Levina sinks
Indonesian ferry Levina I, which had caught fire last week, has sunk resulting in an additional casualty. A spokesman for Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta told Fairplay that a possible reason for the sinking was the “lack of stability.” The vessel went down in the Java Sea yesterday and according to reports a television lensman on board was killed. Three more people are said to be missing and another two, who have been hospitalised, are in critical condition. More than 10 people including police, officials and journalists had boarded the ship which had been hauled and anchored near Jakarta port. Though anchored, the vessel had begun to tilt, Navy official Hendra Pakan said. Reuters quoted SCTV reporter Agus Faisal Karim as saying that life vests were distributed, but some were not wearing them. Meanwhile the death toll from the original accident on Thursday has climbed to 42 with the discovery of more bodies. The license of operator PT Praga Jaya Sentosa based in Pangkal Pinggal near Jakarta has been revoked. An undisclosed number of children, who did not figure in the ship’s manifest, had boarded the vessel.