Missing boat found, all safe in S. Sulawesi

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Searchers have found a missing ship that was reported missing in eastern Indonesian waters and rescued all 52 people aboard, including eight crew members.

The KM Untung Jaya, which was also carrying tons of freight, was found in the Banda Sea at around 3 p.m. on Sunday, where it had gone missing after encountering bad weather on Saturday night.

All of the vessel's passengers were evacuated safely to nearby Mandati port on Wanci Island, Southeast Sulawesi province, Antara reported.

Rocky Asikin, the director of the search and rescue (SAR) service in the Southeast Sulawesi capital of Kendari, was quoted as saying the boat had been adrift since it developed engine trouble.

It was found some 60 miles (90 kilometers) from the island of Wanci, and 130 miles from Kendari port, after two naval vessels and a Nomad Alpha aircraft from the neighboring province of Maluku had been called in to help in the search, he said.

Rocky said all the victims, including six children, had been safely returned to their families.

He said the vessel had run into a storm on Thursday while sailing from Taliabo Port in North Maluku to Wangi-Wangi.

It then developed engine trouble on Saturday night.

Three days ago, two other ships -- the KM Aswin Jaya and KM Berkat 03 -- also developed engine trouble after encountering bad weather in the waters off Southeast Sulawesi.

Meanwhile on Thursday, a vessel with a maximum capacity of 75 people but carrying almost 180 passengers capsized off the coast of North Sulawesi province, leaving 22 people dead and four others missing.

Victor Matondang, a senior Talaud regency government official, said another body had been found on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 22.

The ferry, packed with 180 wedding guests, sank on its way from Meronge subdistrict on Lirung island to Damau subdistrict on Kabaruan island. The ferry was licensed to carry a maximum of 75 passengers.

The Talaud administration had promised to give Rp 1 million in aid to the families of those who perished in the accident. The regental government will also pay the medical expenses of those injured in the accident.

Shipping accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of some 17,000 islands, where much traveling is done by sea. Safety regulations, however, are poorly enforced and ships are frequently overcrowded.