JAKARTA: At least 24 people, including children, died on Tuesday (Jul 3) after a ferry ran aground off the coast of Indonesia, officials said, as rescuers raced to save scores of other passengers still missing or stranded aboard the vessel in rough seas. The latest in a succession of boat tragedies in Indonesia began on the same day that officials called off a search for 164 people presumed drowned when a wooden ferry sank on June 18 in a deep volcanic crater lake on the island of Sumatra. ALSO READ: 128 missing as overloaded ferry sinks in Indonesian lake

Pictures show huge waves swamping the listing ferry, people wearing orange life jackets as they float in the sea, and cars and trucks sinking in the turbulent water. The 159-foot-long vessel, carrying several dozen vehicles including a bus and trucks, was on its way to Selayar island, just south of the main Sulawesi island, from the port of Bira when it began taking on water. "There was a leak in the hull," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.The National SAR Agency (Basarnas) has deployed its officers to rescue the passengers.
Ferry MV KM Lestari Maju sinks while en route to Pamatata in Selayar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, with 48 vehicles and 139 passengers on board. At least 12 fatalities are reported.