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Air-Sea Search Underway for 27 Missing After Indonesia Boat Sinks

Reports of a drifting raft are steering rescuers to a predicted path.

Overview

  • Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia were racing Tuesday to locate 27 people believed to be adrift after the Nazila 05 sank near Taliabu Island.
  • The boat left Taliabu on Sunday evening for Kema and went down after high waves broke its bow, according to a report relayed by the captain to the owner.
  • Officials said everyone on board evacuated into a longboat before the vessel sank, but their location has not been found.
  • Relatives reported the group tied themselves to a raft, and the National Search and Rescue Agency sent a rescue ship, an inflatable boat, and a helicopter with local fishers scanning an estimated drift zone.
  • Muhammad Rizal, who leads the Palu search office, said the vessel often carried tourists, underscoring how Indonesia’s vast island network relies on small boats where rough seas, lax safety rules, and overcrowding make accidents common.