At Least 200 Survive Java Ferry Sinking

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At least 200 people survived the sinking of an Indonesian ferry that went down off Java, officials said Monday. The number of casualties and of survivors remained uncertain three days after the sinking, The Daily Telegraph of Australia reported. While only a few deaths have been confirmed, bodies continue to wash up on the beaches of Java, and others may have gone down with the ship. Officials say the Senopati Nusantara was carrying 628 people, including 57 crew, when it capsized and sank in a storm. Rustam Pakaya of the Indonesian health ministry said 130 survivors are in Tuban in eastern Java and 70 in Rembang in central Java. Officials say about 60 bodies have also been recovered. Bad weather has complicated rescue efforts. Some survivors have been picked up by ships heading for different ports, while those who floated ashore, either living or dead, are spread along more than 100 miles of coastline. "We are having problems because the victims are spread all across the beaches from Jepara to Rembang to Tuban," said Toni Syaiful, a spokesman for the Indonesian navy.