KM Nurul Salsa Update: 59 Survivors Found, 18 Still Missing After Five-Day Search

Joint search and rescue (SAR) teams discovered two more survivors from the KM Nurul Salsa on Sunday (19/7/2026), the fifth day of the operation, bringing the total number of rescued passengers to 59. The head of operations and standby for the Makassar SAR Office, Andi Sultan, confirmed that the two individuals were found by the crew of the fishing vessel KM Bari Baria 05 after they were stranded on Balaloho Island in Pangkajene and Islands Regency (Pangkep), South Sulawesi. Both survivors are currently being evacuated to Benteng Port in Selayar aboard the Indonesian Navy warship KRI Marlin 877. The survivors were identified as Nurmiati (46), a woman, and Jasmal (24), a man, both residents of Tangnga Hamlet, Tanamalala Village, Pasimasunggu District, Selayar Islands Regency. They were discovered around 1:00 p.m. local time clinging to a buoy in the waters off Sanipa Island. According to initial accounts, the pair revealed that five people initially held onto the buoy after the vessel sank. However, after drifting for several days, three of their companions are believed to have died. Selayar Islands Police Chief AKBP Didid Imawan stated that the two survivors were forced to release the bodies of their deceased companions into the sea after two nights, as the remains had begun to decompose. The identities of the three deceased victims have yet to be confirmed and will be investigated further once the survivors are fit to provide detailed statements. As of the fifth day of the search, 59 of the 78 people aboard the KM Nurul Salsa have been rescued, while 18 remain missing. The search operation now covers an area of 1,305 square nautical miles, divided into four sectors, and involves KN SAR Puntadewa 102, KRI Marlin 877, KRI Hiu 634, as well as support from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the Indonesian National Police, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, the harbour master, and local fishing boats. The commander of KRI Marlin 877, Lieutenant Colonel Rahmad Kurniawan Sembiring, added that the two newly found survivors received first aid aboard the warship before being transported to Jampea Island for further medical treatment. The KM Nurul Salsa was reported to have sunk on Wednesday (15/7) at around 5:00 a.m. local time due to engine failure while sailing from Jampea Island to Benteng Port in Selayar. The vessel went down in waters west of Polassi Island, approximately 43 nautical miles from Benteng Port.