Fifteen passengers of a ferry that sank off Indonesia's Java island were found alive and rescued by a cargo ship after struggling for their lives for 10 days, local press reported Monday.

 

The passengers of the Senopati Nusantara ferry that sank on Dec. 30 were found aboard a lifeboat Sunday night and rescued by the Mandiri cargo ship in the Bali Sea, reported leading news website Detik.com.

 

One of them was in critical condition and died on the way to South Sulawesi province.

 

"One passenger died on the helping ship on the way to (South Sulawesi capital) Makassar," head of the Bali rescue team Ketut Purwa was quoted as saying.

 

The ferry reportedly carried 628 passengers when the accident occurred. The national search and rescue team said 247 passengers have been rescued alive and 12 bodies were evacuated. Scores more bodies were seen floating on the sea.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)