Officials announced on Monday they were calling off the two-week long operation.
ADVERTISEMENTIndonesia officials called off a two-week-long search for nearly 200 missing bodies on Monday following the capsizing of an overcrowded ferry on Lake Toba on June 21. There were 18 survivors.
Rescue spokesman Muhammad Yusuf Latif told Reuters there were many difficulties in continuing on with the search, such as dangerous currents and murky waters, which had already been explained to the families of the victims.
According to geologist Craig Chesner, the ferry sank "in the deepest part of the entire lake".
The boat’s capacity was about 40, according to a disaster agency spokesperson. The total number of passengers on board remains unknown.
Police said the captain survived and was taken into custody.
Surya Dharma, a first sergeant in the Indonesian Air Force, told CNN there had not been enough life jackets on board and many did not know how to swim.
Such journeys as this one are common in Indonesia during Eid al-Fitr, a holiday at the end of Ramadan.
On June 13, two boats sank, killing at least 16.
