Padang (Indonesia), Jul 15 (AP) Indonesian rescuers were searching for 11 people, including three children, still missing Tuesday after a speedboat capsized during a storm the previous day off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands.

Seven people, including the two crew members, were rescued and were in stable condition after drifting in the choppy waters for hours, said Lahmudin, who heads the local Disaster Management Agency.

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The boat capsized in the Sipora Strait after leaving Sikakap, a town in the Mentawai Islands district in West Sumatra province, at midday, said Lahmudin, who like many Indonesians uses a single name. It was bound for the neighbouring town of Tuapejat, a trip of less than two hours.

The boat was carrying 16 passengers, mostly local administration officials, and two crew members. The 11 people missing included three children and a local parliamentarian.

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“Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident, but survivors said the boat was hit by high waves in a sudden storm,” Lahmudin said.

A rescue ship and an inflatable boat were searched for survivors with assistance from fishermen and people onshore, said Rudi, the local search and rescue agency chief who also goes by a single name.

Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed the search taking place overnight on rough seas as rain fell.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Accidents occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

A ferry sank near Indonesia's resort island of Bali early this month, leaving at least 18 death and 17 missing after a two-week search operation that involving more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers officially closed Monday. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)