Dozens feared dead and at least 128 missing as overloaded tourist ferry sinks in Indonesia

Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for more than 100 people missing after a ferry sank on a lake in Sumatra.

Divers and an underwater drone will scour the depths for at least 128 missing passengers on Wednesday after no new survivors were found on Tuesday.

The wooden tourist ferry sank as it sailed in rough weather on popular tourist destination Lake Toba on Monday.

Eighteen people were rescued and one body recovered from the lake that evening, police said.

Bags, jackets, an ID card and other items were pulled from the waters on Tuesday before the day long search was suspended having failed to account for any more.

Officials released names of 94 people confirmed as missing but said the figure was expected to rise as information from relatives is compiled.

"Many people have reported their relatives missing," Budiawan, head of the search and rescue agency based in the nearby city of Medan, told Reuters.

He said the overcrowded boat was filled with around 150 people and 55 motorbikes.

Authorities were still trying to confirm the total number of passengers, but said at least 128 people were missing, including many children.

Rescuers are battling bad weather and rough waters as they try to reach any remaining survivors.

The ferry had capacity for 60 passengers but was overloaded and also carrying dozens of motorcycles, said Sri Hardianto, an transport ministry official.

A survivor identified by Indonesian television as Juwita Sumbayak said the vessel was rocked by high waves and was hit a by a wooden boat before suddenly sinking.

"I was desperate. I was scared to death. I'm afraid my family is dead," she said, weeping.

The 1,145-square-kilometre (440-square-mile) lake, formed out of an ancient super volcano, is a popular sightseeing destination on the island of Sumatra.

The police statement said that on Tuesday morning the search had found several bags, including one containing a cellphone and ID, jackets and other items of clothing as well as traces of oil and a blue bucket and jerry cans suspected to be from the sunken ferry KM Sinar Bangun.

It said bad weather continues to hamper the search of the lake, which has depths of more than 400 metres (1,300 feet).

Officials say more than half a dozen vessels and 350 people including search and rescue personnel, police, soldiers and fishermen are involved in the search.

"We've asked for a remote underwater vehicle (to locate the sunken vessel) and the help of special land, sea, and air crews," Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue agency, told reporters.

Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, with weak enforcement of safety regulations often to blame.