Almost 250 people remained missing and were feared dead more than 24 hours after a ferry sank in a heavy storm off Indonesia's Sulawesi island, the transport minister said Monday.
"Up to this morning, 18 people have been rescued alive, passengers and crew. Some 249 are still missing," Jusman Syafii Djamal told AFP.
"We have intensified the search this morning. Eight patrol boats from provincial search and rescue teams are already in the area and the navy as well as the air force are also involved in today's search."
Most Indonesians do not swim and there was little chance many of those still missing would have been able to survive more than 24 hours in rough seas.
The 700-tonne ferry operated by a private company was about 50 kilometres (30 miles) off Majene, western Sulawesi, when authorities lost contact with it around 2:00 am on Sunday morning (1800 GMT Saturday).
The Teratai Prima was carrying about 250 passengers and 17 crew when it sank as it sailed from Pare-Pare in South Sulawesi to Samarinda in East Kalimantan.
The captain and several crew were among the 18 survivors who were rescued by fishermen on Sunday, amid unconfirmed reports the ferry had only three lifeboats.
Survivor Yulianus Mangande, 29, said most of the passengers were asleep when the ferry suddenly listed and capsized around 3:30 am.
"I felt that the ferry was listing to the left, then suddenly it turned upside down. I had to swim in the dark in heavy seas until the morning," he said, adding that he was found by fishermen around 11:00 am.
Rudi Alvian, 17, said he survived by clinging to a bunch of bananas.
"I was below deck. A bunch of bananas belonging to other passengers helped me float until I found a lifeboat," he told AFP.
He said the ferry left port in heavy weather. "We were travelling in bad weather from the time we started to sail," he said.
Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Iskandar Sitompul said high seas were continuing to hamper the search for survivors.
"Two warships and one Nomad patrol aircraft from the navy are off West Sulawesi scouring for survivors. A team of 40 marines with two rubber boats are also involved in the search this morning," he said.
Sulawesi and Borneo islands have been bashed by storms, heavy rains and high winds for days amid the tropical wet season.
Ferry transport is crucial in Indonesia, a massive archipelago of some 17,000 islands and 234 million people.
The government has repeatedly vowed to improve safety standards but sinkings are common.
In December 2006 more than 500 people were killed when a ferry sank in a storm off the coast of Java.
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