41. Aragon agreed the ferry was likely off-course because markers were displaced. 42. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and have said that the ferry was neither overloaded nor too old. 43. Because of rampant banditry in the war-torn country, ferries are almost the sole form of transportation on the government-held western coast. 44. Councillor Chung Shui-ming agreed the ferries were very important to tourists. 45. Coast Guard commander Vice Adm. Reuben Lista said that the ferry was not overloaded. 46. Domestic ferries often are overloaded, have no efficient communications systems, lack life-saving devices and are manned by poorly-trained crews. 47. Estline officials said the ferry would be out of service for at least several days. 48. Ferries are the cheapest means of transportation between the two lakeside towns in a country whose infrastructure has been destroyed by a succession of armed rebellions. 49. Ferries are the main mode of sea transport in the archipelago. 50. Ferries are the only other connection to the mainland. |