17 dead, dozens missing in Indonesia boat sinking

At least 17 people from a wedding party have died after their boat sank on its way to the Indonesian island of Bali, an official said Wednesday, with two dozen still missing. The victims include at least three children, one of them a two-year-old boy, while nine other children are believed missing. Officials called off the search for the day at sunset, with eight of the 49 people on board rescued, while the remaining 24 were still unaccounted for.
"The search was called off in the evening because the waves were very big and it was getting dark," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, adding the search would resume Thursday morning. The wooden motor boat broke down on Tuesday after leaving the east coast of Indonesia's main Java island late Monday. "The engine was damaged and the water pump broke, so the boat filled with water and sank," Nugroho said.