By Noel Caballero
Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Jan 7 (EFE).- The community of the Indonesian seaside town of Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the famous crystal-clear waters and rugged, lush islands of Komodo National Park, is rallying around the loved ones of the Spanish family that was on a tour boat that capsized last month, telling them “they’re not alone” as the tragedy continues to unfold.
The wooden, two-storey KM Putri Sakinah sank in the waters off Padar Island in the park around 8.30 pm local time on Dec. 26. Eleven people were on board, including a Spanish family of two adults and four children. Of the family, Andrea Ortuño and her daughter were rescued at the scene; her husband Fernando Martín and two children, a girl and a boy, have since been found dead, while one boy remains missing on Wednesday.
Photograph taken on January 4, 2026, showing the interior of the Stella Maris Church in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. EFE/Noel Caballero
“When they first heard of the incident, the first thing that happened was empathy… Because tragedies like this in some sense shouldn’t have to happen,” Father Hermen Sanusi, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, tells EFE. “Especially when the victim is a foreigner from far away… That’s what makes us sad.”
On Friday evening, more than 1,000 people—both Catholics and Muslims—gathered at the Labuan Bajo port, where part of the search operation is being coordinated, to participate in a vigil. The families of the missing Spaniards joined them.
“We prayed for their safe return,” said the priest, who organized the event at the port, and also officiated a Mass on Sunday at the Stella Maris Church “for the souls of the deceased,” which was also attended by family members.
“There are many [locals] who show sympathy, grief and a sense of loss, and they want to accompany the family to get through this tragedy,” says Sanudi.
Photograph taken on January 4, 2026, showing the Stella Maris Church in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. EFE/Noel Caballero
On the way to a room adjacent to the church, dozens of children come to greet the priest. Catholicism is the religion practiced by approximately 85 percent of the residents of Flores Island, on which Labuan Bajo sits in southeast Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
“We tell the family that they’re not alone… [and] give them serenity and comfort. Anything that we can help with, we will. So the important thing is to give support to them and (…) give them comfort,” the Catholic priest says.
Father Hermen highlights the strength of Ortuño who he says, although “very mournful and very tired,” still holds onto hope.
“She also told me that while her wounds haven’t been healed fully, she can start to accept reality,” he says.
The search operation will continue until Wednesday evening, after being extended twice.
Friday’s vigil concluded with a moving candlelight procession, the white wax of which still lingers on the ground of the port, where locals sought to embrace the families.
“Why do we light a candle at the time? Because we ask God to show us the light. The light that can help find the … remaining” missing, the priest says, expressing once again his condolences for the tragedy. EFE
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