Over 200 feared drowned near Australia

"Suggestions are that a boat with something of the order of 170 to 220 people may have foundered en route to Australia," he told ABC radio. "Amongst many of the people in the detention centres there have been calls made to overseas destinations to assure family members they had in fact arrived safely given the reports that so many people had lost their lives in this incident." Australian officials said the boat was reported to have sailed from Java late last month but had been hit by rough weather.