Five Missing Passengers from Sunken KM Nurul Salsa Found Alive

Five passengers from the Motor Vessel (KM) Nurul Salsa, which sank in the waters off Selayar, South Sulawesi, have been found alive near Pulau Mattalang in the Selayar Regency. The Head of the Makassar Basarnas Office, Muhammad Arif Anwar, explained that the five victims were found in a safe condition by the KMN Sinar Matoanging 04.

‘KN SAR Kamajaya has moved to the location to carry out an intercept and evacuate the victims so they can immediately receive medical treatment and be registered,’ he stated on Saturday (18/7). Arif confirmed that the five survivors were on the passenger manifest of the KM Nurul Salsa and had been listed as missing when the vessel sank. The group consists of four females—Sitti Amang, 55, Asseng, 23, Diska, 7, and Sri Ardita, 17—and one male, Andi Samad, 62. When found, the victims were floating in the sea and surviving by holding onto a rompong, a fish aggregating device owned by local fishermen.

Iwan Darmawan Aras, Chairman of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI) and a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, noted that the victims’ ability to survive by clinging to the fishermen’s rompong was a crucial factor in their discovery by a passing ship. ‘This is an encouragement for all elements of the joint SAR team who are still searching for other victims. We hope that more victims can be found alive,’ he said. Makassar Basarnas stated that the evacuees will undergo health checks before being reunited with their families.

The search operation for victims of the KM Nurul Salsa is ongoing. The joint SAR team is sweeping the sea and monitoring areas predicted to be drift paths for the victims based on current analysis and weather conditions. On the fourth day of the operation, out of a total of 78 people aboard the KM Nurul Salsa, 52 have been found alive, one has been found deceased, and 25 others remain missing. Basarnas Kendari has deployed 28 personnel and the KN SAR Pacitan to assist in the search for the 25 missing victims.