People rescued after five days at sea

People rescued after five days at sea

JAKARTA: An Indonesian navy ship on Tuesday rescued 64 people who had been adrift at sea for five days, the last 48 hours without water and food, after their vessel's engine malfunctioned, a report said.

The KRI Panana navy ship found the KM Saparaya drifting in the Banda Sea in the early hours of Tuesday and rescued all those on board, the state-run Antara news agency said.

The Saparaya had left Wanci island in Sulawesi province for the Taliabu island in North Maluku province on November 9, carrying 57 passengers and seven crew, but its engine broke the following day.

Antara quoted the Panana's captain Muhammad Junaedi as saying that those on board had gone without food or water for two days.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,700 island, relies heavily on sea transport but enforcement of maritime safety has been weak and accidents at sea frequent. -- AFP