Ferry carrying 250 passengers sinks

An Indonesian ferry carrying 250 passengers capsized and sank yesterday after being battered by a large wave in bad weather in the country's east, officials said.

Eighteen people including one of the crew had been rescued, said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the Transport Ministry.

Transport Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal said 150 people had been taken off the ferry, but their condition was unknown and he gave no further details. The discrepancy in the number of possible survivors could not immediately be clarified.