Rescuers in the eastern part of the country have found two more survivors – a mother and son – from a passenger boat that sank last week and were searching for 18 others still missing.
The 46-year-old woman and her 24-year-old son were found stranded on Balaloho Island, one of the small inhabited islands in Selayar, by fishermen, officials said on Sunday.
More than 200 rescuers aboard vessels were joined by troops, police, fishermen and residents, said Andi Sultan, head of emergency response in Makassar.
“Rescue teams also faced extremely harsh weather conditions, including waves as high as two to three metres and strong winds,” Andi said.
Rescuers retrieved five survivors on Saturday evening, including a seven-year-old girl, who were clinging to a fish trap.
At least one person was confirmed dead.
The KM Nurul Salsa, which was carrying 78 passengers and crew, experienced engine failure and sank last Wednesday about 79km from the port in the Selayar Islands, in South Sulawesi province.
Passenger boats are a common form of transportation in Indonesia, an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands.
Lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding have frequently resulted in accidents. — AP
