JAKARTA, Indonesia

At least 11 people died and over 40 others remain missing after more than a dozen boats capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province earlier this week, an official said on Friday.

At least 42 people are still missing after 16 fishing vessels sank on Wednesday due to a severe storm, according to Yopi Haryadi, head of the province’s search and rescue office.

“Waves as high as five meters swamped the boats. As of today, 77 people have been rescued alive,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Search and rescue operations continued on Friday as weather conditions were gradually improving, the official added.

* Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita