JAKARTA, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and one remains missing after a longboat capsized in the waters off Indonesia's Maluku province, a local search and rescue official said on Wednesday.
The vessel, carrying 10 people, went down on Tuesday afternoon in the Watmasa waters of Tanimbar Islands Regency after being struck by huge waves and strong winds, said Muhammad Arafah, head of the provincial Search and Rescue Office. The boat had been sailing from Larat Harbor to Karatat village in the regency.
"Three people died, six others survived, and one person is still missing," Arafah told Xinhua by phone.
He said a search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the incident, but efforts have been hampered by adverse weather conditions.
According to him, all survivors have been evacuated to Karatat village in Tanimbar Utara sub-district.
