JAKARTA ~ At least 10 people, including women and children, were killed on Monday after a strong wave capsized a boat in the Java Sea, reports said.

The boat was one of several vessels about to perform an offering at sea as a ritual to celebrate the Javanese new year.

“We’ve received 10 dead bodies,” a nurse from a nearby hospital was quoted as saying by local media.

“We’ve had this ritual every year. This is the first time we have had an accident,” local resident Adi Winoto was quoted as saying by Elshinta radio.

He said the size of the waves was hampering efforts to look for any other possible victims.