Ship Sinks Off New Guinea

A ship sank off the coast of western New Guinea, leaving hundreds of passengers and crew missing, Indonesia's official Antara news agency reported Wednesday.

Anatara said the KM Bimas Raya II sank in remote waters near Merauke, in southern Irian Jaya province, on Monday night.

Only 26 out of some 300 people aboard had been rescued, the ship's owners, PT Bimas Raya, said.

A company official said the vessel's captain radioed a mayday call on the company's frequency a few minutes before it went down, saying the ship was in Â"critical condition.Â"

There was no further information on the cause of the incident, news of which was only announced Wednesday because of the remote location, 1,240 miles east of Jakarta.

Antara said five ships were searching for survivors.

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