Rescue teams searched the waters in central Indonesia for 24 missing fishermen since their boat sank over the weekend, with hopes kept alive by the discovery of 11 survivors who had been floating at sea for three days.
The boat with 37 crew went down on Saturday near Selayar Island off South Sulawesi province, according to the search and rescue agency, with 11 survivors in life jackets spotted by fishermen only on Tuesday. Two other crew were found dead.
“We just received the report of the boat sinking from those who survived on Tuesday,” local operation division head Andi Sultan said.
Navy and fishing boats were assisting the search yesterday. Local media showed a picture of navy personnel lifting a body of one of the dead crew found the previous day, covered in an orange sheet.
The boat, which had departed from Jakarta on March 3, was heading to the waters off Lombok island, about 1,000km away. Midway through the journey, the vessel capsized in high waves and strong winds, Andi said.
Indonesia’s rainy season began in January with the meteorological agency forecasting it would reach its peak this month, particularly on the islands of Java and Sumatra. — Reuters
