A search is underway for a speedboat that vanished off a bay on Sulawesi island, Indonesia, with 11 European tourists and two Indonesian crew members on board
A speedboat carrying 11 European tourists has vanished from a holiday hotspot in Indonesia.
Rescuers are now searching for the vessel which was reported missing off a bay on Sulawesi island on Friday afternoon.
The boat departed Tojo Unauna regency in Central Sulawesi province on Friday morning and was heading for Marisa Port in the neighbouring Gorontalo province – but failed to arrive as scheduled, officials said.
A local tour guide reported the incident to the search and rescue office at 3:40pm on Friday, sparking an immediate search operation, said Heriyanto, Head of the Gorontalo Province Search and Rescue Office.
“Concerns arose when their speedboat had not arrived by afternoon,” Heriyanto said. “We immediately launched a search mission overnight but until now have not found any signs” of the vessel or people on board.”
Rescuers said they have faced challenging sea conditions today, as strong winds have battered the area with waves reaching up to 2.5 metres (8 feet) high.
The tourists on board the speedboat included a Czech man, a Belgian man, five Dutch nationals, three Germans, a French woman. Two Indonesian crew members were also on board, according to Indonesian authorities.
There was no immediate comment from the embassies representing the missing tourists.
Heriyanto said dozens of search and rescue teams were deployed in an operation covering approximately 300 square nautical miles of waters along and around Tomini Bay – a renowned marine tourist area – with dozens of islands dotting its vast waters, based on the tour boat’s route projections.
A thermal-imaging drone and diving equipment are also being used in the search, he said.
Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, where boats are a common form of transportation.
Boat and ferry accidents occur frequently in the country due to weak safety standards, widespread overloading of vessels, and unpredictable weather.
On July 15, a passenger boat carrying 76 people sank off Selayar Island, killing at least four people and leaving 14 others missing.
