KUPANG ~ Two people drowned when their boat capsized off West Timor during an annual ceremony to ward off evil, police said on Monday.

The ethnic Chinese were killed when their boat capsized in heavy seas off Tanjung Bastian Beach on the northern coast of West Timor on Sunday afternoon, district police chief Abdul Salam said.

“Strong waves overturned one of the boats and two participants drowned and were found dead,” Salam said.

The meteorology office has warned of high seas in the next few days.