A boat carrying more than 250 people, most of them from the Middle East and South Asia, has sunk off the coast of Indonesia's main island of Java and more than 200 passengers are still missing.

So far only 33 people have been rescued. Authorities say bad weather is hampering rescue efforts.

Indonesian police blamed the accident Saturday on overcrowding on the wooden boat.

The passengers were believed to be migrants from several different countries including Iran and Afghanistan. Many boat people from the Middle East and Asia use Indonesia as a transit point en route to Australia.