Here is an update I found this morning.
Indonesian fishermen and search and rescue teams have found around 200 survivors as ships continued to look for some 400 people still missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Java.
Warships, fishing vessels and helicopters have braved continuing bad weather and rough seas to scour the waters off the north coast of Java since the "Senopati Nusantara" (Archipelago Commander) sank late Friday.
Some 151 survivors were already on land, while 15 others were on a Vietnamese ship making its way to the Javanese port of Surabaya, the transport ministry said Sunday.
"Besides that, there is one victim who is dead on board a fisherman's boat which is also bringing 11 survivors to Rembang at the moment," ministry official Soeharto was quoted as saying by the official Antara news agency.
Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa later said police helicopters had spotted three life rafts with around 30 to 40 people on board.
"We have instructed ships nearby to pick them up," he told ElShinta radio after returning from a flight over the area.
"We have decided to get the helicopters to immediately drop food and water to them while waiting for the ships which are on their way to rescue them."
He said the survivors seemed healthy and waved at the helicopters.
"The weather is one of the biggest challenges for our search and rescue team as the waves are sometimes as high as six metres. However the rescuers have not stopped searching for victims by sea or air," he said.
Antara said 66 bodies had been found and were being transported to Rembang, but search and rescue officials were not immediately able to confirm this.
The "Senopati Nusantara" was en route from Kumai on Borneo island to the Javanese port city of Semarang when it sank.
Preliminary investigations showed bad weather was to blame, officials said as they continued to collect data.
"Our investigation so far shows that bad weather coupled with high and heavy waves had caused the ferry to sink," said Setio Rahardjo, head of the National Committee on Transportation Safety.
"We have not had evidence of a collision or any carelessness by the Senopati," Antara quoted him as saying.
The vessel was carrying 545 passengers and 57 crew when it sank, port official Slamet Rahardjo told reporters in Semarang. It was licensed to carry 850.
He said the ship was equipped with two lifeboats and 47 life rafts capable of carrying 1,175 people, as well as 1,125 lifejackets.
Seventeen rescued people arrived in Tuban, about 70 kilometres (44 miles) east of here, early Sunday and were treated for dehydration.
"They have not eaten for about two days. They were floating in the water for about 10 to 12 hours and then the boat couldn't get alongside because the waves were too strong," said Yuni, a nurse at Tuban hospital.
Search and rescue operations resumed Sunday with six warships in addition to two police launches. Rescue efforts were also bolstered by fishing boats and other private vessels, despite continuing rough weather conditions and overcast skies.
It was still not known exactly where the ferry sank, but search efforts were being concentrated in the seas between Surabaya and Semarang off the north coast of central Java.
Officials said they lost contact with the vessel around midnight (1700 GMT) Friday.
Twenty-one survivors found in a life raft were brought into Rembang port on the coast late Saturday.
Crowds of family members searched the lists of survivors posted at the Rembang district hospital, hoping to find the names of sons and daughters, mothers and fathers.
"I hope the government can get on with the rescue as soon as possible because the longer it takes, the smaller the chances of survival," said Said, who had received a phone call that his mother had been aboard.
The local weather office said the seas north of Java would not be safe for navigation for the next two or three days due to tropical storms.
Ferries are a crucial link between the archipelago nation's 17,000 islands and frequently carry more people than officially acknowledged. Boats are also often overloaded due to lax safety standards.
