A barge named Visa I carrying 1,200 tons of gasoline on board sank in Awang Gulf waters, Central Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, inflicting material losses worth Rp12 billion, ANTARA reported. The boat leaving Bali for Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, capsized after being hit by huge waves reaching a height of up to six meters, on Saturday at 11 am Eastern Indonesian Time, a spokesperson of the NTB Police, Tribudi Pangastuti, said here on Wednesday. The barge was being towed by Tb (Tugboat) Anugerah when the accident occurred. The tugboat turned the direction when the huge wave hit the barge and the tugboat later rescued the barge`s 11 crew members. The ill-fated barge and its cargo of 1,200 tons of gasoline sank in the Lombok waters. The local environmental affairs office would monitor Awang Gulf to anticipate water pollution due to the gasoline spill.
