55 asylum seekers rescued, more missing

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55 asylum seekers found, more missing

3News NZ

People have been rescued from a vessel like this one (file)

People have been rescued from a vessel like this one (file)

More survivors from an asylum seeker boat which sank have been plucked from waters between Australia and Indonesia.

Fifty-five people have now been rescued, with three people being treated on board Australia's HMAS Maitland for serious injuries.

It's believed as many as 150 people, including women and children, were on board the wooden boat when it left Java.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a distress call from the boat on Wednesday morning, then on Thursday merchant vessel APL Bahrain reported seeing people in the water and began to help survivors, The Daily Telegraph reports.

An Indonesian search and rescue vessel, as well as a police patrol boat, were to meet with the APL Bahrain to transfer its survivors to the port of Merak in western Java.

RadioLIVE / 3 News

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Comments

31/08/2012 10:24:19 p.m.

kathy davie wrote:

This should not be Australia's problem..These people that are making the money out of these boat trips should be made an example of in java..

31/08/2012 1:15:15 p.m.

dave wrote:

this is a hard one, but hop on an old boat and try and go out to sea in it...expect the worst