JAKARTA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The bad weather hampered the rescuers' efforts to help ferry disaster survivors near Majene, West Sulawesi in Indonesia, an official was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.

    Ilham, a spokesperson for the Majene port authority, said a rescue boat from the Parepare Port in South Sulawesi was unable to reach the approximate area where the ferry was believed to have gone down.

    "The waves are violent. And the visibility at sea is very low because of the bad weather," Ilham said.

    On the other hand, a local navy office said they were still assembling personnel and coordinating plans with local Majene officials.

    A total of 182 passengers went missing as their motorboat sank due to huge waves in Parepare waters of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province at 4 a.m. on Sunday when it was sailing from the Parepare Port to Balikpapan, the national Antara news agency reported.