"Three of the five crew members had been saved and evacuated, but two were still gone missing," head of Tanjungpinang SAR agency Bambang Subagyo said here on Sunday night.
Bambang said the tugboat went down at 17.00 local time.
Tanjungpinang SAR team is still searching for the two missing crew members with the help of relevant authorities and local fishermen at the spot where the tugboat sank.
"We are deploying ten SAR personnel on rubber boats in the location not far from the coast," he said.
In the meantime, Bintan Timur police chief Second Inspector Dadi P said the tugboat went down after being rammed by a barge it was pulling for repair.
"The tugboat Kijang 3 while being pulled by a barge using a cable sling broke, and caused the tugboat to sink," he said.
"We are still searching for the missing crew members," he said.
H-NG/B003
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
