July 16, 2011
JAKARTA (AFP) - Seven people were killed and two more injured when a customs boat caught fire and sank in western Indonesia, a search and rescue official said Saturday.
The boat, which had nine people on board, sank near the coast of North Sumatra province, said Hadi Tugiman, search and rescue chief for Medan city.
"The two injured people are currently being treated in hospital," he added.
The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands has a poor safety record, and fatal accidents are common.
Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded ferry sank off Sulawesi island in January last year.
