Five Rescued After Sulawesi Boat Sinking; Search Continues for Dozens Missing
Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, were rescued after a Sulawesi boat sinking that left dozens unaccounted for, as authorities mounted an expanded sea and air search for the missing. The survivors were located three days after the passenger ferry KM Nurul Salsa went down south of Sulawesi, officials said.
Rescue of Five Survivors
Five survivors — one man, three women and a seven-year-old girl — were brought aboard a search-and-rescue vessel late on Saturday after being sighted by a local fishing boat near Matallang Island. They were transported to safety and received initial medical attention, according to regional rescue authorities.
The survivors told rescuers they had spent three days adrift, clinging to a fish trap and other buoyant debris after the vessel lost power and sank. Officials said their condition ranged from exhausted to mildly dehydrated, and that crews were providing food, water and basic care.
Survivors’ Makeshift Flotation and Accounts
Rescue officials described how the survivors improvised flotation devices from jerry cans, cork pieces and rope to stay above water after the engine failed. Local search-and-rescue official Muhammad Arif Anwar said the group had fashioned rafts and climbed on top of them to survive heavy seas and strong winds.
The five told rescuers they had been travelling with a larger group but became separated during the stormy conditions that followed the sinking. Their account is being cross-checked with interviews of other survivors and early rescue reports to establish how many people were together when the vessel sank.
Search Operation and Assets Deployed
Authorities deployed five large ships, a reconnaissance aircraft and a helicopter as part of an ongoing search and rescue operation for those still missing. Maritime agencies coordinating the effort said they were concentrating sweeps around the last known position of the KM Nurul Salsa and along likely drift paths given prevailing winds and currents.
Local media reported that 47 people were rescued the day after the sinking and that at least one person drowned, leaving roughly 20 people unaccounted for from an original manifest and survivor reports. Search planners said teams were using sonar, visual searches and coordinated sea lanes to maximize coverage of the area.
Vessel Route and Sinking Details
The KM Nurul Salsa was en route from Jampea Island to the port of Benteng on Selayar Island in South Sulawesi province when it suffered engine failure and sank. Officials reported the vessel went down about 43 nautical miles — roughly 79 kilometres — from the port, in waters that can be hazardous during adverse weather.
Authorities have said the vessel was carrying passengers and crew on a routine inter-island crossing when the engine problem occurred. Investigators are collecting statements from rescued passengers, crew manifests and the boat’s maintenance records to determine the sequence of events that led to the disaster.
Maritime Safety Concerns Across Indonesia
Passenger boats remain a primary mode of transport across Indonesia’s archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, but safety standards and enforcement vary widely. Overcrowding, poor maintenance and inadequate safety equipment continue to contribute to frequent maritime incidents in the region.
Earlier this month a ferry carrying about 65 people sank off Bali, killing at least six and leaving dozens missing, underlining persistent safety challenges. Maritime authorities and transport regulators face ongoing pressure to tighten inspections, enforce capacity limits and improve emergency preparedness on inter-island routes.
Community Response and Family Searches
Relatives of passengers have gathered at ports and local administration offices seeking information about loved ones, while volunteers and coastguard units coordinated shore-based searches. Local officials set up hotlines and information centres to channel family inquiries and provide updates as rescue efforts continue.
Provincial authorities said they would continue to update the public as more information became available, and that counselling and support services would be offered to families of victims and survivors. Religious and community groups have also mobilised to assist with logistics and relief for those affected.
Search teams continued to work into the weekend, expanding patterns of coverage and adjusting tactics as weather and daylight allowed. The operation remains active and officials said they would press on until all possible leads were exhausted.
Rescue agencies urged anyone with information about the voyage or the whereabouts of missing passengers to come forward, and stressed the importance of wearing lifejackets and observing safety briefings on inter-island journeys. The response now shifts toward accounting for all passengers and learning lessons to prevent similar tragedies in future.
