Five Rescued After Days Adrift Off Sulawesi; Search Continues for 20 Missing

The survivors were found clinging to a fish trap and floating debris at sea three days after the boat sank.

Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, have been rescued after spending three days stranded at sea off the coast of South Sulawesi following the sinking of their vessel. Authorities continue to search for at least 20 others still unaccounted for.

The survivors—one man, three women, and the child—were spotted by a fishing boat on Saturday evening near Matallang Island and transferred to a search-and-rescue vessel. They had stayed afloat by clinging to a fish trap and makeshift flotation devices after the KM Nurul Salsa suffered engine failure and went down on Wednesday with 78 passengers and crew aboard.

“After the ship sank, each of them saved themselves using whatever equipment or makeshift flotation they could find,” said local search-and-rescue official Muhammad Arif Anwar. “They rigged together jerry cans and pieces of cork tied up with rope, then climbed on top of them.”

The group told rescuers they had initially been part of a larger contingent of 25 people but were separated by strong winds during the ordeal.

Local media reported that 47 people were rescued the day after the sinking, and one fatality has been confirmed. Five large ships, a reconnaissance aircraft, and a helicopter are currently deployed in the ongoing search operation.

The KM Nurul Salsa was traveling from Jampea Island to the port of Benteng on Selayar Island when it sank approximately 43 nautical miles (79 km) from its destination.

Passenger boats remain a primary mode of transport across Indonesia’s archipelago of more than 17,000 islands. Lax safety enforcement and chronic overcrowding frequently contribute to maritime accidents.

Earlier this month, at least six people died and dozens went missing after a ferry carrying 65 passengers sank off the resort island of Bali.

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