Five people rescued after Indonesia boat sinks, at least 20 still missing

Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, have been rescued after being stranded at sea off the Indonesian coast for three days when their boat sank south of Sulawesi. The survivors—one man, three women, and the girl—were found by a fishing boat before dark on Saturday near Matallang Island and taken to a search-and-rescue vessel.

They had stayed afloat by clinging to a fish trap and floating debris after the KM Nurul Salsa suffered engine failure and sank on Wednesday with 78 passengers and crew members on board. “After the ship sank, each of them saved themselves using whatever equipment or makeshift flotation they could find,” said local search-and-rescue official Muhammad Arif Anwar. “They rigged together jerry cans and pieces of cork tied up with rope, then climbed on top of them.”

The survivors told rescuers they had been part of a group of 25 people, but during their ordeal they were separated from the others by strong winds. Local media reported 47 people had been rescued the day after the boat sank, and one person is known to have drowned.

Five large ships, a reconnaissance aircraft, and a helicopter are being used in ongoing search efforts for those still missing. The KM Nurul Salsa was en route from Jampea Island to the port of Benteng on Selayar Island in South Sulawesi province. It sank about 43 nautical miles (79 km) from the port.

Passenger boats are a common form of transport in Indonesia, an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands. Lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding frequently result in accidents. Earlier this month, at least six people died and dozens went missing after a ferry carrying 65 people sank off Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.