Scores Missing After Boat Carrying 200 Asylum Seekers Capsizes

June 22, 2012 from ABC News (Australia)

Survivors from a boat that capsized in the Indian Ocean have begun arriving on Christmas Island, but at least 90 people are still missing. The overcrowded fishing boat from Indonesia was carrying around 200 asylum seekers hoping to reach Australia, and reportedly began issuing distress calls 40 hours before it overturned in heavy seas.

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Australia-Indonesia relations

Australia–Indonesia relations are foreign relations between Australia and Indonesia. Since Indonesian independence, the two countries have maintained mutual diplomatic relations, formalised co-operation, a measure of security co-operation, broadening treaty relationships, co-m... Explore this topic

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Tim... Explore this topic

Indonesia

Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 17,508 islands. It has 34 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a r... Explore this topic

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia—including India, after which the ocean is named—on the north, on the west by Africa, on the east by Australia, and on t... Explore this topic

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It has a population of 2,072 residents who live in a number of "settlement areas" on the northern tip of the island: Flying Fish Cove, Silver City, Poon Saan, and Drumsite. The majority of the p... Explore this topic

Capsizing

Capsizing is when a boat or ship is turned on its side or overturned. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting. If a capsized vessel has enough flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted. Ves... Explore this topic

Refugee

A refugee is a person who is outside their country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted 'social group' or because they are fleeing natur... Explore this topic

Search and rescue

Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search is conducted over. These include mountai... Explore this topic

Boat people

Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants, or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made. The term came into common use during the late 1970s with the mass departure of Vietnamese refugees from Commun... Explore this topic

Fishing vessel

A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. According to the FAO, there are currently four million commercial fishing vessels. About 1.3 mil... Explore this topic

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Australia-Indonesia relations

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