Indonesia ferry sinks off Sumatra

Almost 300 people have been pulled from the sea after a ferry sank off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, officials say.

But four people were killed and officials said many more remained missing after the accident, which happened early on Sunday. Officials blamed the incident on bad weather and high waves. It appears that the ferry, which reportedly had a capacity of 273 people, was overloaded when it sank. According to its manifest, 240 people were on board the Dumai Express 10 ferry when it sailed.But Indonesia's sea transport director-general, Sunaryo, called the disparity between the manifest and reality "large" and described it as "a classic case" of rule-breaking. He said rescue efforts were being hampered by bad weather. "The waves are as high as six metres, it's difficult for small ships to reach the location," he told a news conference in Jakarta. 'Traumatised' The Dumai Express 10 was travelling from Batam island to Dumai in Riau, Sumatra, when it sank.Officials said it rolled over before capsizing about 90 minutes into its voyage.RECENT MARITIME DISASTERS

11 Jan 2009: At least 232 people - possibly many more - die as ferry sinks off Sulawesi

11 July 2007: Passenger ship with 70 on board sinks off eastern Indonesia

22 Feb 2007: At least 42 die as ferry catches fire

30 Dec 2006: More than 400 lost as ferry sinks between Borneo and Java

7 July 2005: About 200 die as ferry sinks off eastern Indonesia

Indonesia's public transport perils

Rescue efforts were aided by the fact that the ferry went down in the busy Malacca Straits between Indonesia and Malaysia.

According to Sunaryo, 292 people were picked up by nearby boats. The total number of people on board the vessel remains unknown.

Officials said rescue efforts would continue until dark and then resume in the morning.

A navy spokesman said it was not clear whether anyone was still inside the ferry, which was now completely submerged.

"We're not sure if anyone is trapped in the ferry. Those who have been rescued are traumatised," Iskandar Sitompul said.

Another ferry, the Dumai Express 15, was reported to have run aground in bad weather as it travelled between Batam and Moro islands.

All 278 passengers and crew on board were said to be safe.

Ferry accidents linked to over-crowding and poor vessel maintenance kill hundreds of passengers in Indonesia each year.

The country's large population is spread out over 17,000 islands and relies on ships and ferries to travel around.

In the last three years, at least 800 people have been killed in ferry accidents in Indonesia.