Ferry sinks off Indonesia.

Summary: An overloaded ferry has sunk in bad weather off Indonesia's Riau islands, killing four people, while nearly 300 passengers survived.

An overloaded ferry has sunk in bad weather off Indonesia's Riau islands, killing four people.

Nearly 300 passengers survived the accident, according to a transport ministry official at news conference in Jakarta.

The ferry, which had the capacity to carry 273 people, had 213 passengers on its manifest.

"The disparity between the manifest and reality is large, it's such a classic case of breaking the regulations," said Mr Sunaryo, director general of sea transportation.

He added: "Bad weather is hampering search and rescue efforts. The waves are as high as six metres, it's difficult for small ships to reach the location."

The ferry, the Dumai Express 10, was sailing from Batam near Singapore to Dumai island in Riau when it ran into massive waves. Survivors were spotted floating at sea.

Separately, another ferry, the Dumai Express 15, with 278 people on board, ran aground after it was hit by large waves, according to Riau police spokesman Yasin Kosasih. All passengers and crew survived.

Indonesia relies heavily on ferry services to connect the many islands in the sprawling archipelago. However, accidents are common, largely due to years of under-investment in infrastructure and a tendency to overload ferries.

Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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