UK cruise ship damages pristine Indonesian coral reef

Coral grows in the waters off Raja Ampat's Kri Island located in eastern Indonesia's Papua region. - AFP/file

Sorong (Indonesia) (AFP) - A British-owned cruise ship has smashed into and damaged pristine coral reefs in a remote corner of Indonesia known as one of the world's most biodiverse marine habitats, researchers and officials said Tuesday.

Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia has long been a top attraction for intrepid travellers and avid divers, home to palm-fringed islands surrounded by an underwater kaleidoscope of coral and fish.