1 dead after passenger boat sinks in Indonesia, say authorities

One person is dead and 23 are missing after a passenger boat sank on the way to an island in Indonesia, authorities said on Thursday.

KM Nurul Salsa carried 70 passengers and crew, as well as copra, cattle and motorcycles, when the ship left the port in Jampea Island.

Authorities received a report Wednesday afternoon that the ship’s engine had failed and it was sinking about 43 nautical miles (79 kilometres) from its destination port in the Selayar Islands in South Sulawesi Province. Rescuers located 46 survivors and were searching for the 23 missing passengers on Thursday, according to Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, who said the effort had been hampered by poor weather.

“The challenge is the weather, with waves 2 to 2.5 metres high at the search site. The winds are also strong. That’s the main challenge,” Anwar said.