A total of 182 passengers went missing as their motorboat sank 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 boat, named KM Teratai, left the Parpare port at 4 p.m. on Saturday but sank in Parepare waters due to huge waves on Sunday, the Antara news agency quoted a rescue coordinator as saying.

Coordinator of the rescue and search team from the University of Hasanuddin, Salman said in Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province, on Sunday, that the ill-fated Teratai carried 200 passengers, 18 of whom had been rescued by local fishermen, and 182 still missing.

"Three of the 18 passengers brought to the coast were rescued by Nur Salim, one of the fishermen from Majene," Salman said.

KM Teratai left the Parepare port in South Sulawesi for Balikpapan at about 16:00 local time on Saturday. KM Teratai had 200 passengers on board. But earlier reports said there were 300 passengers on the boat.

"Because of heavy rain and high waves, the captain could not control the vessel which then sank after being battered by big waves on its way to Balikpapan," Salman said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2009)