Longboat Carrying 14 Passengers Sinks in Maluku, One Dead

A longboat carrying 14 passengers sank in the waters between Sera Island and Selu Island, Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku, on Tuesday (7/7) at around 08:30 WIT. One person has been reported dead. The boat departed from the Kumatubun Village jetty on Sera Island at around 08:00 WIT. Weather conditions were clear and the surrounding waters were favourable for sailing. Mid-journey, approximately 30 minutes later, the weather suddenly deteriorated with strong winds and high waves. The longboat, which was still underway, immediately sank. All passengers attempted to swim and seek help. Thirteen passengers were eventually rescued by fishermen, while one person, named Thomas Kadung (42), was declared missing. The Coordinator of the Saumlaki SAR Post, Wahyunan Samal, stated that his office received a report from Saumlaki BPBD officers regarding the sinking longboat at around 11:10 WIT. ‘On 8 July 2026 at 11:10 WIT, we received information from Mr Olo of the Tanimbar Islands BPBD that on 7 July 2026 at 08:30 WIT a longboat with 14 persons on board sank,’ said Wahyunan on Wednesday (8/7) evening. After receiving the report, a joint SAR team was deployed using a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) and with fishermen to the incident site, which was approximately 42.3 miles from Saumlaki port. They combed the waters of Sera Island in waves reaching 2.5 metres to search for the missing victim, Thomas Kadung (42). After several hours of searching, the victim was found lifeless, floating in the mangrove waters of Tatun Angbabu Hamlet, Selu Island, about 40.6 miles from the initial incident site. ‘The longboat had 14 persons on board, 13 survived, one was declared missing, named Thomas Kadung, a 42-year-old male,’ he said. The body of Thomas Kadung was then taken to Selu Island to be handed over to the family for burial. With the victim found, the SAR operation was declared closed.