At Least 15 Lives Lost, 19 Missing in Indonesia Ferry Sinking

• Tragic boat sinking off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island: 15 fatalities confirmed, all missing passengers found.
• Rescue operation concluded, 27 remaining passengers located, identities established.
• Incident involved a wooden passenger boat, not a ferry; overcrowding not confirmed.

A tragic incident occurred off the coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, where a wooden boat carrying 48 passengers sank. According to search and rescue officials, at least 15 people lost their lives in the unfortunate event. Fortunately, all the missing passengers have been found. Six survivors were rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention, while the cause of the sinking is currently under investigation.

Muhamad Arafah, the head of the local search and rescue agency in Kendari city, Southeast Sulawesi, issued a statement confirming that all 27 remaining passengers on the boat had been located, and the victims’ identities were established.

Earlier, the agency had reported 19 individuals as missing and continued search efforts. However, Arafah stated that the operation had now been officially concluded and closed.

The incident occurred as the boat was crossing a bay between Lanto and Lagili villages in Central Buton regency on Muna island. Wahyudin, a spokesperson for the local rescue office, clarified that the passengers were initially recorded as missing because they had managed to rescue themselves and returned home after reaching the shore.

Contrary to earlier reports, the vessel involved in the accident was not a ferry but a wooden passenger boat, as clarified by Wahyudin. He refrained from confirming local media claims of overcrowding on the boat.

Indonesian media reported that the tragic incident occurred when villagers were returning from a local celebration and had gathered on an overcrowded boat that capsized while crossing the bay. It is common in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers on a boat to differ from the official manifest.

The rescue agency shared distressing images of several deceased individuals covered by sarongs, laid on tarpaulin at a local hospital.

Marine accidents are unfortunately frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago nation comprising around 17,000 islands, where ferries and small boats are widely used despite poor safety standards.

In the past, the country has witnessed devastating accidents, such as a ferry sinking in 2018 that claimed over 150 lives in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island. Another incident in May the following year involved a ferry carrying more than 800 people that ran aground in shallow waters off East Nusa Tenggara province and remained stuck for two days before being dislodged, fortunately without injuries.

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