JAKARTA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- More Indonesia's navy ships and helicopters Tuesday joined the air and sea search operation for survivors in an Indonesian ferry that sank in rough waters off the western coast of Sulawesi island last Sunday.

Relatives of the missing passengers of a ferry sinking check a name list at the Pare-pare port in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2009.(Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) Photo Gallery>>>

    At least 34 people, including the captain, have been rescued and two dead bodies have been recovered. More than 230 passengers and crew are still missing and feared dead at nightfall Monday following a day of intense searching amid high waves and strong winds. Hopes dim in sea search after the boat sank two days ago. Strong winds and high waves up to 13 feet (4 meters) hindered the mission.

    Most survivors were picked up by fishing and cargo ships within hours of the sinking and taken to nearby ports. They recounted a churning sea and relentless waves before the ferry suddenly sinking in the dark.

    The 700-ton (635-metric ton) Teratai Prima radioed that it was in trouble just before dawn Sunday. It sank about 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast of western Sulawesi and went down in 5 minutes after a 3-meter wave hit the ship.

    The captain is being investigated for allegedly ignoring warnings from the Indonesian weather agency that conditions on the crossing were too dangerous. "A widespread investigation was underway to determine why the crew apparently ignored warnings not to travel into the Makassar Strait," the Jakarta Post Tuesday quoted Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal, as saying.

    Boats are a major form of transportation in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago with more than 17,000 islands. Poor enforcement of safety regulations and overcrowding causes accidents that claim hundreds of lives each year.

    In December 2006, a crowded Indonesian ferry broke apart and sank in the Java Sea during a violent storm, killing more than 400 people.

34 passengers of Indonesia's sank vessel found alive

    PAREPARE, Indonesia, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Thirty four survivors and two dead bodies of a ferry that went down in Majene waters of Indonesia's West Sulawisi province had been found till 10:00 pm local time on Monday, according to an official announcement here on Tuesday.

    The ill-fated KM Teratai Prima was hit by three-meter high waves triggered by a strong typhoon, and went down in 500-m deep Majene waters, West Sulawesi, early Sunday. Full story