Indonesia search continues as five survivors rescued from sunken passenger vessel
Rescue operations utilise ships, aircraft and helicopters following engine failure that left 78 passengers and crew in the water
Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, have been rescued three days after the KM Nurul Salsa passenger boat sank off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The survivors were located by a fishing boat near Matallang Island before dark on Saturday and transferred to a search-and-rescue vessel. They had been stranded since Wednesday after the vessel suffered engine failure approximately 43 nautical miles from Benteng port.
Local search-and-rescue official Muhammad Arif Anwar stated that the survivors had rigged together jerry cans and pieces of cork tied with rope to stay afloat after the ship sank. The group, comprising one man and three women, told rescuers they were part of a larger party of 25 people but were separated from the others by strong winds during the incident.
At least 20 people remain missing from the 78 passengers and crew on board the KM Nurul Salsa. The vessel was en route from Jampea Island to the port of Benteng on Selayar Island in South Sulawesi province. Search operations are currently underway, involving five large ships, a reconnaissance aircraft and a helicopter.
Local media previously reported that 47 people had been rescued the day after the sinking and that one person was known to have drowned. The discrepancy between the total number of people on board and the confirmed rescued and deceased counts highlights the ongoing uncertainty regarding the fate of those separated from the five survivors.
Passenger boats are a common form of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands. However, lax safety standards and overcrowding frequently result in accidents involving these vessels. Earlier this month, at least six people died and dozens went missing after a ferry carrying 65 people sank off Bali.
