SAR Evacuates Eight Victims of Sunken Motorboat to Ampana Hospital, Central Sulawesi

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team has evacuated eight victims of a motorboat that sank in the Gulf of Tomini to Ampana Hospital in Tojo Una-Una Regency, Central Sulawesi. The victims were transported using the KN SAR Bhisma, arriving at Ampana around 4:05 p.m. local time, according to the head of operations and standby at the Palu SAR Office, Rusmadi.

Rusmadi explained that there were 13 people involved in the motorboat incident in the Gulf of Tomini. Eleven were foreign tourists and two were Indonesian nationals. Twelve people have been rescued, while one person, the boat captain identified as Ferdiansyah, remains missing.

Of the 11 foreign tourists, seven were evacuated to Ampana for medical treatment, while four others chose to remain on Una-Una Island. Rusmadi stated that none of the victims suffered physical injuries, but medical treatment was necessary because they were experiencing dehydration, weakness, and trauma.

A joint SAR team of 13 personnel departed from the Luwuk SAR Post in Banggai Regency aboard the KN SAR Bhisma on Saturday at approximately 9:40 a.m. local time and was expected to arrive at the search location around 7:40 p.m. Medical treatment is deemed necessary to aid the mental recovery of the victims.

The victims have been identified as Ferdiansyah (29), Arif (27), Milan Kasik (55), Rani Permentier (30), Mathijs Sercu (29), Jelka Van Driesum (16), Hinke Van Deer (59), Roeland Van Driesum (61), Age Van Driesum (18), Matthias Prange (50), Celine Josette Menguy (52), Hector Fabio Prange (20), and Ronny Josue Prange (13).