Three charged over Christmas Island shipwreck

The three men were among up to 100 people on board the flimsy boat when it smashed into rocks on 15 December.

The passengers were mostly Iranian, Iraqi and Kurdish asylum seekers making their way to Australia via Indonesia.

Coastguards rescued 42 survivors but the bodies of at least 18 people have not been found.

The three men - aged 22, 60 and 32 - were charged with "facilitating the bringing to Australia of a group of five or more persons", police said.

They have appeared in court in Perth and face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and a fine of up to A$220,000 ($219,500).

The boat was smashed to pieces on the rocks around Christmas Island last month - witnesses said it went down within an hour, leaving survivors struggling to hold on to pieces of wreckage.

It is believed the engine on the vessel failed, while island residents said the seas were the heaviest they had seen in months.

The charges come a day after an official report into the sinking found that the boat - known as SIEV 221 - had only been detected by the authorities shortly before it went down; Kazinform cites BBC News.

See www.bbc.co.uk for full version.