2 Found, SAR Continues Search for Victims of KM Putri Sakinah

A joint SAR team evacuated the body of a suspected victim of the sinking of the tourist ship KM Putri Sakinah in the waters of Serai Island, Komodo National Park area, Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Sunday (4/1/2026). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The joint SAR team agreed to extend the search for the victims of the Putri Sakinah ship that sank in the waters of Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, NTT and resulted in the loss of four Spanish tourists.

"We will continue the process of searching for the victim. We will extend the search process for three days," said Head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, Fathur Rahman, as the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) who was contacted from Kupang, Sunday, January 4, quoted by Antara.

This was conveyed when asked about the development of the search for four Spanish nationals who went missing last week due to the sinking of the tourist ship KM Putri Sakinah. The four missing people consisted of a female coach of the Valencia FC Football Club and her three children.

The search process has been carried out for 10 days. After an extension of the search was carried out from January 2-4, 2026. During the 10-day search, the joint SAR team consisting of the Search and Rescue Office, Ditpolairud Polda NTT, TNI AL, Bakamla and other related parties managed to find the bodies of the two missing victims.

The first victim found was a 12-year-old boy, the son of the Valencia coach, while the second victim found lifeless on Sunday was Valencia coach Fernando Martin.

Fahtur Rahman said the search for the drowning victim was extended again after the joint SAR team on Sunday found the victim's body. "With the discovery of one victim this morning, signs of finding other victims are there, so we extend it again for three days," he said.

If during the three-day extension no other victims are found, the search period will be closed, but it will still be monitored. Furthermore, he said that the obstacles found in the field during the search for victims were weather factors, which were difficult to predict, but the search process was still being carried out.