Rescuers search for 11 missing after speedboat capsizes off Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands

Eleven people, including three children and a local lawmaker, are missing after a speedboat capsized in stormy waters off Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands. Seven were rescued. Search efforts are underway with local and national agencies assisting amid rough weather.

Padang (Indonesia): Indonesian rescuers were searching for 11 people, including three children, still missing Tuesday after a speedboat capsized during a storm the previous day off Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands.

Seven people, including the two crew members, were rescued and were in stable condition after drifting in the choppy waters for hours, said Lahmudin, who heads the local Disaster Management Agency.

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The boat capsized in the Sipora Strait after leaving Sikakap, a town in the Mentawai Islands district in West Sumatra province, at midday, said Lahmudin, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name. It was bound for the neighbouring town of Tuapejat, a trip of less than two hours.

The boat was carrying 16 passengers, mostly local administration officials, and two crew members. The 11 people missing included three children and a local parliamentarian.

“Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident, but survivors said the boat was hit by high waves in a sudden storm,” Lahmudin said.

A rescue ship and an inflatable boat were searched for survivors with assistance from fishermen and people onshore, said Rudi, the local search and rescue agency chief who also goes by a single name.

Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed the search taking place overnight on rough seas as rain fell. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Accidents occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

A ferry sank near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali early this month, leaving at least 18 dead and 17 missing after a two-week search operation that involved more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter, and divers officially closed Monday.