Boat capsizes in waters off Sabu Raijua, NTT; one fisherman dies

A boat was reported capsized after being hit by waves in Perairan Sabu Besar, Desa Lobohede, Kecamatan Hawu Mehara, Kabupaten Sabu Raijua, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). In the incident, one fisherman was declared dead. “All three were on board, but one person was found dead,” said the Head of the Kupang Search and Rescue Office, Mexianus Bekabel, to detikBali, on Wednesday (20 May 2026). Mexianus explained the incident began when three fishermen, namely Imanuel Lappa Ga (56), Ruben Djara (36) and Lukas Hada (37), were fishing around the location on Monday (18 May 2026) around 20:00 WITA. Not long after, the boat capsized due to high waves. In the incident, they tried to save themselves, but Lukas Hada died after allegedly drowning. Meanwhile, Ruben managed to survive and Imanuel was still missing. The family then reported the incident to BPBD Sabu Raijua, the TNI and police on Tuesday (19 May 2026) to be searched. Subsequently, the BPBD officers notified the Kupang Search and Rescue Office for the search process. In follow-up to the report, several SAR personnel were deployed to the location this morning. Around 09:10 WITA, Imanuel was found safe. “The victim was subsequently evacuated to Daieko Health Centre for further medical treatment,” said Mexianus. (hsa/hsa)