Refugee Boat Capsizes Off Australia

A refugee boat thought to be carrying about 200 people capsized Thursday off the Australian coast. Authorities said that they did not yet know how many survived the accident near Christmas Island. “We can confirm there are survivors but we can’t confirm numbers at this stage,” said an Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman. “The Indonesian search and rescue authorities are co-coordinating the response.” Authorities in Indonesia said that two Indonesian naval ships were headed to the site to aid in the rescue, which is said to have involved refugees seeking asylum in Australia. “It was coming from Sri Lanka and going to Christmas Island, and it is already on the Australian [maritime] border,” an Indonesian spokesman said.