18 survive speedboat capsizing in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands

PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Residents of Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands found several people stranded on Monday after a speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm the day before, authorities said. All were in good condition.

The boat, carrying mostly local administration officials, capsized while on its regular two-hour journey from Sikakap, a town in the Mentawai Islands district in West Sumatra, to the town of Tuapejat, according to Lahmudin, heads of the local Disaster Management Agency, who, like many Indonesians, uses only a single name.

Ten passengers, including three children and a local parliament member, clung to the wreckage and were found on Guluk Guluk beach, while the other was found near the village of Matobe, according to Mentawai Islands district chief, Rinto Wardana.

Seven, including the two crew members, had managed to reach the Mapinang fishing hamlet, after swimming for hours in the choppy waters, to seek help, Wardana said, adding they survived thanks to their ability to swim.

All survivors were transported to Tuapejat, where their families had been waiting for news.

An investigation is underway, “but survivors said the boat was hit by high waves in a sudden storm,” Lahmudin said.

A rescue ship and an inflatable boat had been deployed for the search, with the assistance of local fishermen and residents, 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 operation taking place overnight in rough seas as rain fell.

Wardana praised the quick response of the joint search and rescue team and community, vowing to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of shipping safety procedures, especially during extreme weather seasons. He also urged boat operators to always pay attention to weather forecast information.

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. The search operation officially closed Monday.