One person has died and 23 others are missing after a passenger boat, the KM Nurul Salsa, sank en route to an island in Indonesia, authorities reported Thursday. The vessel departed from Jampea Island on Wednesday morning carrying 70 passengers and crew, along with cargo including copra, cattle, and motorcycles.
Authorities received a distress call Wednesday afternoon indicating the boat's engine had failed and it was sinking approximately 79 kilometers (43 nautical miles) from its intended destination in the Selayar Islands of South Sulawesi Province. As of Thursday, rescuers had located 46 survivors and continued searching for the 23 missing individuals.
Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, stated that the search operations are being challenged by adverse weather conditions, including waves measuring 2 to 2.5 meters and strong winds. Personnel from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, National Police, along with local fishermen and residents, are involved in the search and rescue mission.
Passenger boats are a primary mode of transportation in Indonesia, an archipelago comprising over 17,000 islands. The region is unfortunately prone to maritime accidents due to frequently lax safety standards and issues with overcrowding on vessels.