Indonesian rescuers found 15 people alive Monday in the area where a boat capsized, raising hopes of more survivors among 200 missing asylum seekers who were en route to Australia. Thirteen of the survivors found on a dinghy 100 kilometres from the capsize are receiving medical treatment in a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Jember city in eastern Java and most cannot walk, an AFP correspondent said. “I got on the boat in Java to go to Australia.
After six hours in rough conditions, the boat capsized, and rescuers only found us days later,” Pakistani Muhammad Mehdi told AFP at the shelter. Two Indonesian men were found on Monday afternoon on Sendang Biru beach near eastern Java’s Malang city and are suspected to be crew members who abandoned the sinking ship.
“But we cannot confirm that just yet,” East Java provincial Disaster Management Agency chief Siswanto told AFP. The fibreglass vessel had a capacity of 100 but was carrying about 250 migrants — mostly Afghans and Iranians — when it sank on Saturday, 40 nautical miles off eastern Java.
