Up to 20 feared dead in asylum seeker tragedy

THERE are grave fears for as many as 20 asylum seekers believed to have drowned after their boat sank in the early hours of yesterday morning while en-route to Australia.

At least seven people were confirmed dead last night by Indonesian authorities, who said the boat went down just hours after leaving from a port in Central Java.

The death toll was expected to rise with more people still missing.

Two young boys and three women were among those confirmed dead by authorities.

The boat, which left from Cilacap in Central Java with a crew of three, was carrying about 70 asylum seekers who had arrived in Indonesia from the Middle East.

It capsized near Nusakambangan Island between West Java and Central Java about 5am local time (9am AEDT) yesterday after taking on water for about two hours.

Ciamis Water Police Chief Samsudin said the bodies of seven people including two young boys and three women had been recovered, adding, however, that more were still inside the capsized vessel.

"The dead have been identified as being from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The ones survived mostly from Iran," Samsudin said.

"We have found the location of where the ship capsized. But we haven't turned it. We think there are more dead bodies inside. Maybe about 10, but we're not sure."

Authorities were alerted by local fisherman who plucked survivors from the sea before water police from Ciamis in West Java arrived on the scene.

"They left Cilacap at 2am and around 3am their ship leaked. At 5am, their ship already sank and was found by local fishermen," Samsudin said.

"They said they're heading to Kupang, but we know that they're actually heading to Australia."

Ciamis Police Chief Agus Santoso said authorities would continue searching for survivors, but he feared the death toll would rise.

"We're still looking for other missing victims. Please help pray," he said.

He confirmed the vessel was heading for Australia when it sank.

"Some said they're from Iran, the others I don't know," he said.

"Their destination is going to Australia, leaving from Cilacap, but they're transiting in Kupang."

In 2001, about 140 Afghan refugees were detained on Nusakambangan after their boat, which was en route to Christmas Island, sank in rough seas.

On December 15 last year, up to 50 people died when their wooden boat was smashed into pieces on Christmas Island's rocky shoreline.

In Australia, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the government remained of the view that the best way to prevent asylum seeker deaths at sea was the now defunct swap agreement that had been struck with Malaysia.

The Gillard government was forced to abandon its Malaysian people swap deal because of a parliamentary impasse last month.

"This is a tragedy, something that the government foretold," Mr O'Connor said.

"We said that if we don't put in place the most effective deterrent, we would see an incline in the incidence of irregular maritime arrivals and we will most likely an incline in maritime fatalities."

But opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the actions of people smugglers were to blame for the latest loss of lives, and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

"The hand of the law must reach them wherever they are," he said.

Australian Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the latest tragedy was further proof that more needed to be done to create safer pathways for asylum seekers.

"This must include taking more people directly from Indonesia and Malaysia before they set out in unseaworthy vessels," Senator Hanson-Young said.

Another boat, carrying 92 asylum seekers and two crew, was intercepted off the Australian coast on Tuesday.

It was the sixth to arrive since the federal government's deal with Malaysia failed to pass parliament.

Source: Herald Sun