Indonesia boat collision kills 2 fishermen, 15 missing

INDRAMAYU: A collision between a cargo ship and a fishing boat killed at least two fishermen and left 15 others missing off Indonesia's main island of Java, officials said on Sunday.

The fishing boat capsized late on Saturday with 32 aboard after hitting the Indonesian bulk carrier MV Habco Pioneer late Saturday off Indramayu district, said Deden Ridwansyah, the head of the search and rescue agency.

He said rescuers recovered two bodies on Sunday - one trapped in a fishing net about a metre (yard) beneath the surface, and another from inside the sunken vessel at 11 metres (36 feet) underwater.

The remaining 15 crew were rescued, and local fishermen and the navy were searching for the others, a spokesperson for the sea transportation directorate general said.

The cargo ship, which was loaded with crude oil from Borneo island, is now moored after its propeller got caught in the fishing net, accordiong to the search and rescue agency.

Sea accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, due to poor safety enforcement.