Rescuers have found seven survivors from a passenger boat that sank off Indonesia's South Sulawesi coast five days ago, with at least 20 people still missing.
The KM Nurul Salsa carrying 78 passengers and crew members suffered an engine failure and sank some 79km from the port on Selayar Island, in South Sulawesi Province, on Wednesday. At least 47 people were rescued the same day while one person was confirmed dead.
The seven survivors were found separately. Five were found on Saturday and two the next day.
The group of five was found clinging to a fish trap belonging to a local fisherman late on Saturday, Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, said in a statement.
The survivors said they were part of a group of 25 people that was separated due to heavy winds.
Two more survivors, a 46-year-old woman and her 24-year-old son, were found stranded on the small island of Balaloho by fisherman on Sunday, authorities said.
“After the ship sank, each of them saved themselves using whatever equipment, or makeshift flotation, they could find,” Mr Anwar told the news agency AFP.
“They rigged together jerry cans and pieces of cork tied up with rope, then climbed on top of them.”
The survivors appeared tired and weak after going without proper food and water for days, he said, adding that they had been able to sustain themselves on packets of instant noodles and biscuits.
The search and rescue operation remains ongoing. Andi Sultan, head of emergency response in Makassar, said the operation involved more than 200 rescue workers aboard vessels, helped by Indonesian soldiers, police, fishermen, and local residents.
“Rescue teams have faced extremely harsh weather conditions, including waves as high as 2-3 meters and strong winds,” he added.
Accidents involving passenger boats are common in Indonesia as ferries remain a vital mode of transport in the archipelago nation comprising more than 17,000 islands.
Six people died and dozens went missing earlier this month after a ferry with 65 people onboard sank off the resort island of Bali.
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