Indonesian rescuers are working in the search for survivors of the sinking of a ferry they were traveling at more than 250 passengers and 17 crew members.

A spokesman for the Indonesian transportation agency reported that so far rescued some 18 people.

The ferry, which had departed from the port of Pare-Pare in Sulawesi island in northern Indonesia, also known as Sulawesi, in the direction of Borneo, sank near the island of Sulawesi.

According to state news agency Antara, the boat capsized at 04:00 local time (21:00 GMT Saturday) in the middle of a storm.

The area reported winds and rains last week caused flooding in some areas even.

Cheap but insecure

Fishermen working in the area with boats sighted some survivors. According to the BBC correspondent in Jakarta, Lucy Williamson, there is no information yet on how many people are still missing.

In Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, the ferry is the most common and inexpensive transportation. However, maritime accidents are common.

In December 2006, in which a ferry carrying over 600 passengers sank on a trip to Java from Borneo. Most victims were never found.

Months later, at least 42 people died when a fire sparked on a ferry traveling from Jakarta to Bangka Island