JAKARTA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Six bodies were recovered and seven others remained missing as a boat went down in waters off East Java province of western Indonesia on Thursday, a government official said.
The sailor boat with 21 on board was overturned after being hit by huge waves when it was passing the waters of Puger of Jember district. Eight people escaped the incident, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency.
Rescuers are still searching for the missing sailors, he told Xinhua in a text message.
Boat accidents frequently take place in Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation home to over 17,500 islands, in part due to neglect of safety standards.
