Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Jan 3 (EFE).- Indonesian search teams said on Saturday they will work “until the last day” to try to locate three Spaniards missing since the sinking of a tourist boat off Padar Island on Dec. 26.
The marine accident left a Spanish woman dead while two other family members were rescued.
“Today, we were unable to find either the boat or the missing persons. We will spare no effort and give everything we have until the last day,” Fathur Rahman, the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) official coordinating the operation, told EFE.
Under Indonesian law, search missions last a minimum of seven days. Authorities extended the operation by an additional three days, which are set to conclude on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference at the command post, Fathur said teams would assess the results once the deadline expires.
“If the missing are not found, further monitoring will be carried out, and if new clues emerge, the operation could be resumed,” he said, without providing further details.
Earlier, relatives of the missing traveled to the port of Labuan Bajo, where part of the operation is coordinated, to thank the rescuers and urge them to make a final effort on Sunday.
Several members of the rescue teams were visibly emotional.
“I hope we can find them tomorrow. We must keep trying and praying,” said Suyud, one of the police officers involved in the mission.
In its final days, the operation is relying heavily on four sonar units to sweep the seabed in priority areas around Padar Island and nearby islets, some of them at considerable depth.
When sonar detects possible objects, divers are deployed to attempt visual confirmation.
On Saturday, seven divers worked in rotating teams, conducting dives to depths of up to 40 meters.
Locating the wreck of the vessel remains a key objective, as rescuers believe the bodies of the missing, an adult and two minors, may be trapped inside.
The tourist boat KM Putri Sakinah sank at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Dec. 26 in waters off Padar Island. Eleven people were on board, including a Spanish family of two adults and four children.
Two members of the family, a woman and a girl, were rescued, along with four crew members and a local guide. On Monday, search teams recovered the body of a Spanish minor.
The three Spaniards still missing are Fernando Martín, a former footballer and coach of Valencia CF’s women’s B team, and two minors: one of Martín’s children and a son of Andrea Ortuño, a survivor of the shipwreck and mother of both the rescued child and the deceased victim. The two adults had recently married.
Indonesian police have opened an investigation to determine whether negligence by the crew contributed to the sinking. EFE
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