Search continues for missing boat

GORONTALO, North Sulawesi: The search is still on for a fishing boat missing since last month in the Tomini waters here.

Antara quoted the commander of the search operation for the Hidayatullah vessel, Sgt.Maj. Kisman Hasan, as saying on Thursday that the 15-ton boat had 21 passengers. Locals are helping with the search.

Kisman said the boat with six crew members left Gorontalo Port in the direction of the Dolong Port in Central Sulawesi in mid December.

It stopped at Tilamuta Port on the west coast of Gorontalo regency to pick up passengers.

"If the boat was swept away and stranded ashore, there should have been a report of it," Kisman said. "If it broke down or sunk, there most probably would have been signs of the disaster or survivors who would have appealed for a rescue operation."

He added that no engineer was on board when the boat left Gorontalo. (29)