AT LEAST eleven people are missing after a boat capsized off the coast of western Indonesia on Monday, authorities confirmed.
According to a statement from the local search and rescue agency, the vessel overturned at approximately 11:00 a.m. while navigating waters around the Mentawai Islands, an archipelago off the west coast of Sumatra.
Of the 18 individuals on board, seven have been rescued.
“Our focus is on searching the area surrounding the estimated location of the accident in hopes of finding all remaining victims,” AFP reported Mentawai search and rescue office head Rudi saying in a statement.
No official cause of the incident has been confirmed. However, maritime accidents remain common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, which comprises roughly 17,000 islands. Many of these incidents are attributed to poor safety standards and unpredictable weather.
On 3 July, a ferry sank off the coast of Bali, killing at least 18 people. In March, a boat carrying 16 passengers capsized in rough seas near Bali, resulting in the death of an Australian woman and injuries to at least one other person.
One of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent years occurred in 2018, when more than 150 people drowned after a ferry sank in Lake Toba, one of the world’s deepest volcanic lakes, also in Sumatra. - July 15, 2025
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