Indonesia Rescues 11 Survivors After Boat Capsize
JAKARTA: On Tuesday, Indonesian rescuers located 11 individuals alive at sea who had endured a boat capsizing in rough conditions, managing to swim for over six hours to reach the nearest island, according to officials.
Efforts involving two boats and numerous rescuers were launched to locate those unaccounted for after a vessel carrying 18 people overturned near the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra around 11 a.m. on Monday, regional authorities reported.
“It was pouring rain when the incident occurred,” stated Rinto Wardana, an official from the island. “Some passengers were able to swim and get to the closest island.”
Wardana noted that seven individuals had been rescued earlier. Among those on board, ten were local government officials traveling for business purposes to Tuapejat, which was the intended destination of the boat after departing from Sikakap, another small town within the Mentawai Islands.
The Mentawai Islands comprise four primary islands alongside numerous smaller ones.
In Indonesia, an archipelago with over 17,000 islands, boats and ferries serve as common transportation methods. However, accidents frequently occur due to adverse weather conditions and insufficient safety regulations that often lead to overcrowding of vessels.
Earlier this month, a ferry sank near Bali’s tourist area with 65 people on board; of these, 30 survived while 18 lost their lives and 17 remain missing.
