34 dead after ferry sinks off Indonesia coast

July 5 (UPI) -- At least 34 people are confirmed dead after a ferry sunk off the coast of Indonesia on Tuesday.

The ferry was traveling off the coast of South Sulawesi province when it began to take on water, officials said. The captain deliberately crashed into Selayar Island to save as many lives as possible, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's disaster management agency.

Of the 189 passengers aboard the ferry, officials said 155 survived. They spent a night on the sunken boat until they were rescued in the morning.

Some who came to the passengers' rescue were local fishermen.

Indonesian Director-General of Sea Transportation Agus Purnomo said the captain and owner of the ferry were the last two people to leave the vessel.

Tuesday's accident came less than a month after a ferry sunk in Indonesia's Lake Toba, in Sumatra, causing nearly 200 people to go missing.