SAR rescues 45 passengers from sunken tourist boat in Bima waters

A tourist boat sank in the waters of Tanjung Katupa, Bima Regency, on Thursday evening, but all 45 passengers and crew were successfully evacuated. The head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, Muhamad Hariyadi, stated the incident occurred around 7:45 p.m. local time while the vessel was travelling from Gili Trawangan to Komodo Island. “The boat was reportedly hit by high waves until it eventually sank,” he said in a statement received in Mataram on Friday. The victims were evacuated to the Majestic and Sultan vessels. A total of 17 people were taken aboard the Sultan, while the remaining 28 were rescued by the Majestic. Following the successful evacuation at 2:45 a.m. local time on Friday, the passengers and crew were transported to Bima Port aboard the KM Amokti Palapa. The search and rescue operation was officially closed after all passengers and crew arrived safely at the port. The operation involved teams from the Bima SAR Post, the Bima Police Water and Air Unit, the Bima Harbourmaster’s Office, the Bima SROP, the Bima Regional Disaster Management Agency, and the Labuhan Lombok Port Authority Unit, along with vessels in the vicinity of the incident.