The death toll in a ferry accident in Indonesia rises to 24: official

At least 24 people, including children, died Tuesday after a
Ferry was beached off the coast
Indonesia said officials, while rescuers ran to rescue dozens of other pbadengers still missing or stranded aboard the ship in rough seas.

The deadly incident occurs the same day the authorities officially canceled the search for more than 160 people still missing after another
ferry sank on a popular tourist lake in Sumatra two weeks ago.

Pictures of the last
accident showed pbadengers hung on the side of the KM Lestari as it appeared in the waters off the island of Sulawesi, while other pbadengers were floating in the sea waiting for help.

The
Ferry was aground about 300 meters (985 feet) from the coast,
The transport agency of Indonesia said the waves had submerged trucks and other vehicles on the deck of the boat before they plunged into water .

Twenty-four bodies were found, with 74 survivors, but 41 people have not yet been identified, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for
The Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia said.

"Some pbadengers are still on board because of rain and high waves," Nugroho said in a statement.

"The evacuation is in progress."

A total of 139 people and 48 vehicles were on the ship's manifest.

A fleet of smaller boats, including local fishing boats, was working to save pbadengers while bad weather prevented larger boats from getting hit
ferry announced the Ministry of Transport.

He added that the pbadengers were wearing life jackets.

The 48-meter vessel sailed from Sulawesi to the nearby island of Selayar when it encountered high winds and high waves.

Fatal marine accidents are not uncommon
Indonesia where many people depend on boats to bypbad the island's 17,000 archipelagos despite lax safety standards.