Rescuers find 5 survivors, seek 20 others after boat sinks in Indonesia

Rescuers found five survivors, including a 7-year-old girl, after a passenger boat sank earlier in the week in eastern Indonesia and they continued searching for 20 others. The incident involved the KM Nurul Salsa, carrying 78 passengers and crew, which suffered engine failure and sank on Wednesday about 43 nautical miles (79 kilometers) from the port in the Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi Province. According to the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, the five survivors were located late Saturday afloat, clinging to a fish trap belonging to local fisherman Muhammad Arif Anwar. At least one death was reported. The survivors—one man and four women—were evacuated by a fishing boat near Matallang Island and brought to Benteng town’s port for health checks and information gathering. Indonesia’s common passenger-boat routes have faced recurring concerns over lax safety and overcrowding.