Rescue workers combed waters off western Indonesia after a small boat sank in stormy seas, leaving at least two passengers dead and seven others missing, police said Tuesday. «The captain could not control the boat because of the high waves, and it eventually capsized in the Malacca Strait,» said Agus Sarjito, a police chief on nearby Sumatra island. The motorized, wooden ship was traveling between two coastal villages in Riau province on Monday when the accident occurred, he said, adding almost all the passengers on board were women and children. Strong winds and 3-meter (10-foot) waves forced rescuers to briefly suspend search operations Tuesday, Sarjito said. «If we forced ourselves to continue, we could be the next victims,» he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. Boats and ferries are a main source of transportation in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands with a population of 235 million.
