Rescuers find 10 more survivors of sunken boat in Indonesia

Officials said Monday that 31 of the total 42 people on board a cargo boat that sank Friday in Indonesia have been rescued

Indonesia Ferry

Three days after a cargo boat sank in the Makassar Strait in South Sulawesi province, 10 more survivors were located, including the captain and other crew.

Of the total 42 people on board, 31 have been rescued since search and rescue operations began Saturday, said Djunaidi, the head of the provincial search and rescue agency. Like many Indonesians, Djunaidi goes by only one name.

The KM Ladang Pertiwi 02 sank in bad weather Friday afternoon. The boat left Thursday from a seaport in Makassar heading to Kalmas Island in Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi Province, with stops along its route to visit some islands in Makassar Strait.

The 10 survivors rescued Monday morning by a local fisherman were taken to their home at Pamantauan Island, located in Makassar Strait.

“They are safe and in good condition,” Djunaidi said.

The sunken vessel was initially said to be a passenger ferry, but Djunaidi later clarified that it was a cargo boat carrying construction materials. Thirty-six passengers had asked for a ride on the boat with its six crew members. The search and rescue team is looking for the 11 remaining passengers, officials said.

Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse.

In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a deep volcanic crater lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people.

In one of the country’s worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. There were only 20 survivors.