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In Indonesia's East Kalimantan: 8 People Dead As Overloaded Ship Carrying Cement Sinks- Photos (Basarnas)

Incidents

The photos provided by Indonesia's National Search And Rescue Agency (Basarnas) shows rescuers transferring a body pack after a ship sank in the Mahakam River in West Kutai regency, Indonesia

Eight people died after a ship sank in the Mahakam River in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan Province, head of the province’s Search and Rescue Office Dody Setiawan said . The incident happened when Ship Carrying Cement 28 passengers, including 3 crew, went down in the upstream area of the river in West Kutai Regency.20 people survived while the other 8 were reported missing amid a strong current

"A search and rescue operation was immediately launched, covering up to 15 km downstream. The operation involved 50 rescuers using rubber boats. At about 11:50 p.m. local time Wednesday, all eight missing persons were found dead," Setiawan told Xinhua by telephone. At 11:50 p.m. local time, all 8 people were found dead, with their bodies floating in the river. A strong current and an overloaded ship are stated to be the cause of this incident. The ship was carrying cement when the tragedy struck.

He said a strong current and an overloaded ship were believed to have caused the fatal incident. The ship was carrying cement at the time.

Rescue Operations

The body of the first victim, Marselus Bouk, 24, was recovered on Wednesday morning at about 6am, some 3.69km from the accident site .Rescue workers later discovered the remains of Anci Anwar, 50, Dedy, 30, Yanto, 40, Ilham, 27, Asmanu alias Bogel, 55, and Ira, 24, in different locations, between 100m to 13km from the sinking point. The final victim, Pendy, 30, was found on the evening of Nov 12, some 10.7km from the accident site. All victims were interned at the Harapan Insan Sendawar General Hospital in Barong Tongkok district.

Photos of (Basarnas )

This photo provided by Indonesia's National Search And Rescue Agency (Basarnas) shows rescuers transferring a body pack after a ship sank in the Mahakam River in West Kutai regency, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2025. Eight people were found dead after a ship sank in the Mahakam River in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province, head of the province's Search and Rescue Office Dody Setiawan said . (Basarnas/Handout via Xinhua)