Grandfather Umar Gives Life Jacket to Grandchild Before KLM Nurul Salsa Sinks

A photograph of an elderly man named Muhammad Umar (80) giving a life jacket to his granddaughter, Naura (13), moments before the KLM Nurul Salsa sank in the waters off Selayar, South Sulawesi, has gone viral on social media. Both remain missing. Pasimasunggu Sub-district Head Nur Amin Arsyad stated that the photograph was taken during the critical moments when the vessel suffered engine failure before ultimately sinking near Polassi Island. According to a surviving passenger, Umar chose not to wear the available life jacket. ‘The photo was taken on the boat during the moments the engine blacked out. According to the survivors we evacuated, the grandfather was actually holding a life jacket, but he refused to wear it,’ Nur Amin Arsyad told reporters on Wednesday (22/7/2026). Nur Amin said Umar chose to give the life jacket to his granddaughter amidst the panic on board, especially as he was the oldest passenger on the vessel. ‘It seems that because of the panic, and because he was the oldest there, as soon as he was given a life jacket, he immediately gave it to his granddaughter,’ he stated. Umar was travelling with his family after attending a family event in East Pasimasunggu, Pasimasunggu District. They were returning to Benteng Utara Village, Bontoharu District, aboard the KLM Nurul Salsa. ‘Muhammad Umar was with his wife and granddaughter Naura. There were six of them in the family. Only one survived, while the other five are still missing,’ Nur Amin revealed. As of now, Naura and four other family members remain unaccounted for, while Naura’s aunt, Rosma, was the sole survivor.