REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JEMBER -- The death toll from the sinking of "KM Joko Berek" in East Java Province has risen to six, after the fishing boat's skipper, Dirman, died on the way to a local hospital, the Jember District Disaster Mitigation Agency's authority said.

The ill-fated fishing vessel, carrying 21 crew members, capsized in Plawangan Puger waters of Jember District, East Java Province, after being hit by giant waves on Thursday at 08.15 a.m. local time.

"Dirman, 50, died while being transported to a local hospital," Heru Widagdo, head of the agency's emergency and logistics unit, stated here.

The local rescue workers had found five other bodies of the ship's crew earlier. The accident also left seven crew members missing, while eight others survived, he explained.