Two more survivors found after Indonesia boat sinking

Two more survivors from a passenger boat that sank off eastern Indonesia were found on an uninhabited island on Sunday, a rescue official said, a day after five others were rescued while floating in the sea.

The boat sank on Wednesday as it sailed near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi. It had been carrying more than 70 people.

Rescuers found a man and a woman who had reached a tiny island by clinging to a makeshift flotation device. Local search-and-rescue official Muhammad Arif Anwar said the two told rescuers that four other people who had been with them did not survive the journey.

Arif said some of those people became too weak to hold on to the raft and drifted away. He said rescuers still hoped to find their companions.

Five other survivors, including a seven-year-old girl, were rescued on Saturday after spending three days at sea. Arif said they had used whatever equipment they could find after the boat sank, tying together jerry cans and pieces of cork with rope and climbing onto them.

Local fishermen found that group on Saturday afternoon and radioed officials for help. The survivors were tired and weak after days without enough food or water. They had survived on packets of instant noodles and biscuits.

Arif said five large ships, a reconnaissance aircraft and a helicopter were being used in the continuing search for 18 people still believed missing. Officials said about 50 people were rescued on Thursday.

Rescuers said the vessel’s manifest listed 50 people on board, but later checks found 78 people had been on the ship. The report said passenger numbers on boats in Indonesia commonly differ from official manifests, and that accidents occur regularly, partly because of lax safety standards and bad weather.

In January, three Spanish tourists died when their boat sank off eastern Indonesia. A 10-year-old boy was officially listed as missing after authorities ended that search.