SAR Team Expands Search for 4 Foreigners Missing in Labuan Bajo NTT

JAKARTA - The joint Search And Rescue (SAR) team has expanded the search area for four foreign nationals (WNA) from Spain who were lost due to a boat accident in the waters of Padar Island, Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

"The joint SAR team has started to carry out a re-search in the waters of Padar Island by expanding the area to 5.25 nautical miles from the location of the incident," said Head of the Maumere Basarnas Office Fathur Rahman, as reported by ANTARA, Sunday, December 28.

The search for the four missing victims is the third day of search since Friday, December 26, 2025.

Previously, the joint SAR team had evacuated seven of the total 11 victims of the tourist ship named KM Putri Sakinah which sank in the waters of Padar Island, Labuan Bajo on Friday night.

Fathur Rahman added that a number of main tools (alut) were deployed to carry out the search, including the West Manggarai SAR Post Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), Sea Rider KSOP Labuan Bajo, Sea Rider Ditpolairud Polda NTT, Rigid Bouyancy Boats (RBB) Lanal Labuan Bajo, Police Fast Hunter (KPC) Ditpolairud Polda NTT, KN Grantin KPLP Labuan Bajo.

He admitted that he would deploy the KN SAR Puntadewa ship with 27 rescuers and supporting personnel from the Maumere SAR Office to the location of the incident to support the search for the victims from Spain.

"It is estimated that the ship will arrive in Labuan Bajo at around 20.30 Wita," he said.

The joint SAR team and all SAR potential are intensively searching for the victims and hope that this third day of search will bear fruit.

"All the joint SAR teams today continue to carry out the search, hopefully we will find the victim soon," he said.

Previously, the joint SAR team in the second day's search for four people reported missing due to a tourist boat accident in the waters of Padar Island, Labuan Bajo found a ship body debris as far as five nautical miles from the scene.

"The search for the four victims who are foreign nationals (WNA) from Spain is still being carried out," said the Head of the Maumere Basarnas Office, Fathur Rahman, when contacted.

Fathur Rahman added that the joint SAR team in the second day's search found goods from the KM Putri Sakinah ship in the form of gas cylinders, debris or debris from the KM Putri Sakinah ship, and the captain's room.

The joint SAR team used a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) Pos SAR West Manggarai, Sea Rider KSOP Labuan Bajo, RIB Lanal Maumere, RIB Ditpolair Polda NTT, KPC Ship Ditpolair Polda NTT.

He added that the search for the victims was carried out by combing around the scene in the northern waters of Padar Island from morning until 18.00 Wita.

"The search for the three Spanish WNA will continue tomorrow," he said.

He also explained that there were a number of obstacles in the search for the victims, including high waves reaching around 0.25-1.5 meters, strong currents around the waters of Padar Island and heavy rain that reduced visibility.

"However, it does not lower the spirit of the joint SAR team in the search process," he said.

Furthermore, the joint SAR team from the Maumere Basarnas Communication Team has conducted a search and matching of data from the manifest of the four foreign tourist victims, and several improvements have been made, namely that the four missing victims are one family consisting of a father, one child, and two boys.

Meanwhile, the two foreign nationals from Spain who were previously declared safe and had been evacuated on Friday night were the wife of the victim and a child of the victim.

The four survivors were then made up of four crew members (ABK) including the captain of the KM Putri Sakinah ship and a tour guide.