Family of Four Missing After Tourist Boat Capsizes in Indonesia

A Spanish family of four has been declared missing after a tourist boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, according to state news agency Antara.

The boat, which was carrying 11 people, went down on Friday night in the Padar Island Strait near the popular tourist hub of Labuan Bajo. Antara reported that seven people were rescued, including two Spanish tourists, four crew members and a tour guide.

Search and rescue operations for the remaining four passengers were ongoing on Saturday.

The Labuan Bajo port authority said the incident was caused by rough sea conditions, with waves reaching up to three metres (10 feet).

“This made it difficult for us to carry out the initial search,” the port authority chief, Stephanus Risdiyanto, told Antara.

As a precaution, Padar Island was closed to tourists on Saturday due to extreme weather.

Marine accidents are common in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation of about 17,000 islands, often linked to poor safety standards and adverse weather conditions.

Opinion Nigeria News