ferry accident
Passengers cling to side of stricken ferry in Indonesia.
At least 31 people have died and three more are missing and believed drowned inside the vessel after a ferry sank in Indonesia.

Many of the passengers who had been trapped overnight on the stricken ferry off the island of Sulawesi were rescued early on Wednesday, officials said.

The latest in a succession of boat tragedies in Indonesia began on the same day that officials called off a search for 164 people presumed drowned when a wooden ferry sank on 18 June in a deep volcanic crater lake on the island of Sumatra.

The Sulawesi ferry, with 139 passengers on its manifest, began sinking on Tuesday afternoon in rough seas. In a desperate bid to save lives, the captain steered the vessel toward land, grounding it between 200-300 metres from shore.

Indonesia's director-general of sea transportation, Agus Purnomo, said in a statement that people trapped on the ferry overnight were rescued early on Wednesday. He did not specify how many but said the captain and the boat owner were the last two people to leave the vessel.

Amiruddin, the chief of the South Sulawesi search and rescue agency, said there were 164 people on the vessel including crew. Amiruddin, who uses one name, said 130 survived.

"We are still searching for three others who we strongly believe are still inside the ship," he said.

Photographs released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency on Tuesday showed passengers clinging to the listing vessel as others descended into the heavy seas using ropes. Most appeared to be wearing lifejackets.

Purnomo said the captain's actions helped save lives. The 48.5-metre-long vessel, carrying several dozen vehicles including a bus and trucks, was on its way to Selayar island, south of the main Sulawesi island, from the port of Bira when it began taking on water.