At least 26 missing in boat accident in Indonesia

At least 26 people are reported missing following the sinking of the ferry Ladang Pertiwi last Thursday in the Makassar Strait, Indonesia.

According to the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) on Saturday, 17 people have been rescued so far.

After “receiving the information, we immediately dispatched a rescue team of 30 people consisting of 14 crew members, 12 rescuers and 4 potential rescue workers to immediately search for the passengers of the ship believed to have sunk in the Makassar Strait,between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi,” said Makassar Basarnas chief Djunaidi.

The lack of fuel in the middle of the strait and the bad weather were factors that affected the boat, which was carrying more than 40 people.

26 missing in Indonesian boat accident https://t.co/Hznb6Leik4 #bkk #bangkok #thailand #indonesia

— Bangkok Post (@BKK_POST) May 28, 2022

However, based on the testimonies of family members, authorities believe that the number of passengers could have been more than 43.

Due to its geographical location, Indonesia is regularly affected by earthquakes, quakes, tidal waves, floods and other meteorological phenomena that often affect maritime traffic.

-Thailand News (TN)