Four people died when a boat carrying about 150 asylum seekers capsized in huge Indian Ocean waves, triggering a frantic rescue effort by Australian crews , officials said today.
The boat rolled over in choppy seas 125km north of Christmas Island yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare told reporters. The Australian island is 500km south of Jakarta, Indonesia.
The survivors, from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, were taken to Christmas Island, along with three Indonesian crew members.
A navy ship was sent to assist the vessel after it was spotted by an aircraft patrol on Monday, Mr Clare said. When the navy ship arrived, the boat appeared to be in good condition. By yesterday, however, several on board had called maritime authorities asking for help, saying the engines had stopped working.
A second navy ship was sent to the scene and rescuers attempted to board the boat. But towering, 4m waves coupled with the vessel's high sides made climbing on board impossible, said David Johnston, Commander of Australia's Border Protection Command.
Rescuers decided the safest option would be to escort the boat to Christmas Island, where Australia operates a detention camp for asylum seekers. Several hours into the journey, however, the boat started leaning and some passengers began jumping into the water. Shortly afterwards, the boat rolled and capsized, Mr Clare said. Officials do not know what caused the boat to overturn.
Rescuers dropped life rafts into the water and hopped into small boats to reach the scores of men, women and children struggling against the choppy waves. Officials managed to pluck 144 people to safety, and recovered the bodies of two women and two men before calling off the search last night.
There were around 19 infants and children on board, Mr Johnston said.
"It is a dreadful feeling in the stomach when we hear that a vessel has capsized, or that it is in some difficulty," he said. "Recovering 144 people in the conditions they had yesterday was extraordinary work."
Customs officials estimated the boat was carrying 150 passengers and said they were interviewing survivors to determine the exact number. They are not searching for anyone else.
Christmas Island is a popular destination for asylum seekers who crowd into rickety boats at Indonesian ports and pay people smugglers to ferry them to Australian shores. Hundreds have died while attempting the journey in recent years.
Last week, another boat carrying asylum seekers sank off Christmas Island. Officials recovered the body of a baby boy and were unable to find eight passengers who vanished in the water.