JAKARTA

The death toll from a sunken ferry in Indonesia rose to 17 on Tuesday.

Indonesian police said an overloaded boat carrying roughly 61 people capsized and sank off the island of Java in the country's eastern Sumenep region.

Rescue operations launched by local authorities saved around 39 people while five remained missing.

High waves hit the vessel as it turned upside down knocking some passengers overboard. The bodies of 15 people had been recovered earlier, including four children.

Local police official Frans Barung Mangera said the search for victims continued until Tuesday afternoon.

The Arim Jaya ship departed from Goa Island to Kalianget Port, Madura, on Monday morning.

Victims have been taken to local hospital for further treatment.

In June 2018, more than 160 people died after a ferry sank in Lake Toba on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.