Retrieval of bodies from sunken Indonesian ferry called off

SIMALUNGUN, Indonesia: The retrieval of scores of bodies from an Indonesian ferry that sunk into the depths of one of the world’s deepest lakes is being called off, a rescue official said on Monday. Grieving relatives prayed and cast flower petals into the volcanic lake where a ferry sank last month in one of Indonesia’s worst maritime accidents, as the search for more than 160 missing passengers was called off Tuesday. Indonesian authorities on Tuesday called off search efforts to find the 164 people, who were missing after a ferry had overturned in Lake Toba on the Sumatra island in Indonesia. According to Muhammad Ilyas, head of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, the wreckage was found on Saturday, but the remotely operated underwater vehicle used to find it had also become stuck in ropes connected to the ferry.
Authorities call off the search for 164 missing after the ferry sank in Lake Toba. Only three bodies have been recovered after the disaster. Although the wreck has been located, rescuers lack the equipment to raise it or attempt to retrieve any bodies inside.