Seven survivors rescued days after vessel sank off Indonesian island

Seven survivors were found after a passenger vessel sank off Indonesia’s Selayar Islands, with the search still focused on dozens missing, according to local reports. Rescuers located seven people, including a 7-year-old girl, on Sunday, several days after the wooden boat went down on Wednesday in waters west of Polassi Island. The National Search and Rescue Agency said 18 people remain missing, and the vessel had carried 78 people in total. Earlier, on Saturday, five survivors were rescued by a fishing boat, after they had stayed alive by clinging to a floating structure used to attract fish. On Sunday, a search team also found two additional survivors—one man and his mother—near Sanipa Island. Local outlet BukamataNews reported that search teams recovered life buoys bearing the vessel’s name, KM Nurul Salsa, along with other flotation devices washed ashore on an uninhabited island. The report notes maritime accidents are common in Indonesia due to overcrowding, aging vessels, and weak enforcement of safety regulations.