On December 15th last year a boat loaded with asylum seekers wrecked on Australia’s Christmas Island, killing 48 or more than half of the passengers aboard. On Saturday, a boat bound for Christmas Island sank off Indonesia roughly 50 miles off East Java. At least 240 people were aboard, though some reports put the figure at closer to 400 . Fewer than 50 people have been rescued thus far. Rescue boats continue to search for the over 200 missing.
Indonesia Says 217 Asylum Seekers Missing After Boat Sinks
The boat, with the capacity to carry 100 passengers, was overloaded with passengers from Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the rescue agency said in a statement on its website.
Asylum seekers, usually from Middle Eastern countries, often pass through Indonesian waters as they try to reach Australia. The issue of boat people is a major political issue in Australia, highlighted in December last year when a wooden boat crammed with as many as 90 people crashed in heavy seas against the cliffs of Christmas Island, killing as many as 50 people on board.
The island lies about 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) northwest of Perth, the capital of Western Australia state.
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