Ship Sinks in Indonesia... 25 Missing Due to Delayed Rescue Operations

Passengers rescued after ship sinking, floating in the sea Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] A passenger ship sank near the Makassar Strait off Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.

According to Antara News on the 29th, a ship that departed from the port of Makassar on the 25th was heading to a small island 45 minutes away when it is estimated that it encountered problems with fuel and engine around 1:30 PM on the 26th, drifting at sea and then met with bad weather, resulting in the accident.

The ship had 42 people on board, including 7 crew members and 35 passengers. The search and rescue team only responded two days later, on the 28th, after receiving the report. Seventeen survivors floating at sea were barely rescued by a passing ship and moved to land, but 25 people went missing.

Authorities stated that the ship had only received a fishing vessel permit and did not have permission to transport passengers and cargo.

In Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands, accidents involving passenger ships and fishing vessels are frequent.