Indonesia’s missing search teams find only remains of ship, will expand area on Monday

MADRID, December 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The search teams for the Valencian family who disappeared when the tourist boat on which they were traveling in Indonesia sank only found the remains of the boat this Sunday and will further expand the area tomorrow, Monday.

The search for the four missing Spaniards, football coach Fernando Martín and three minors, one of his children and two of his current partner, resumed this Sunday for the third day after the sinking of the tourist boat in which they were traveling this Friday off the island of Padar, in Indonesia.

The coordinator of the emergency system, Edy Suryono, said that this Sunday several objects belonging to the tourist boat called KM Putri Sakinah, which transported the victims, were found.

Specifically, in the southern part of the incident location, life jackets from the boat and wooden planks on the top of the boat were found, items which were confirmed with the boat captain.

SEARCH AREA

The search for victims has been underway since Sunday morning in an area located 9 miles south of the incident site and 5 miles north of the incident site, according to local authorities.

The research was also carried out while diving in the waters of Padar Island by six professional divers from the Komodo Professional Divers Association.

Searchers are working in coordination with teams from surrounding islands, such as Messah Island and Papagarang Island, and with fishermen who fish in these waters.

They also announced that this Monday, the fourth day of the operation, the search area will be expanded to try to locate the victims.

The missing people were on board the wooden boat KM Putri Sakinah, which capsized on Friday evening while heading from Komodo Island to Padar in the waters of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province.

Seven people have been rescued so far, including the children’s mother and sister, also a minor, as well as several members of the Indonesian crew, including the captain and a local tour guide, the local search and rescue agency said.

REMAINS OF BOAT RECOVERED

During the second day of the operation, teams recovered the remains of the ship approximately five nautical miles from the sinking site. The head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, Fathur Rahman, detailed that among the aforementioned finds were parts of the boat’s hull, a gas cylinder and sections of the captain’s cabin.

Fathur regretted the strong currents, intense rains and waves of up to 1.5 meters which slowed down the search, although he assured that the rescue teams continued the operation “despite the difficult weather conditions”.

Valencia CF confirmed on Saturday the identity of the missing man, Fernando Martín (44), coach of Valencia CF Femenino, and expressed its deep regret for what happened, sending its “support and condolences” to his family and friends.

The tragic event affects four families since, according to sources in the region, two of the missing children are the children of Andrea Ortuño – who was able to be saved from the boat with another of her daughters – the result of a previous relationship and the third minor is the son of Fernando Martín, also from a previous relationship.

The family was vacationing in Indonesia, a tourist destination that has attracted increasing numbers of European visitors in recent years.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the sinking was likely due to intense waves caused by unfavorable weather conditions resulting from a wave formed on Christmas Day in the south of the country. According to local authorities, the boat’s engine lost power before it was hit by waves and began to sink.

Spanish Foreign Ministry sources said they were in contact with Indonesian authorities and that the consulate in Jakarta had been activated to pay attention to the two Spanish survivors of the accident, who confirmed that they were “out of danger”, as well as to move personnel to Labuan Bajo and contact the families of those affected.

Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara has become a hotspot for Indonesian tourism as it is the main gateway to the UNESCO-listed Komodo National Park, known for its Komodo dragons and island landscapes. However, the rapid growth of maritime tourism has also raised concerns about ship security and surveillance.

Maritime accidents involving tourist boats occur periodically throughout the archipelago, especially during the monsoon season, when weather conditions have suddenly changed.