Survivors Found After Drifting at Sea for Four Days, Sustaining Themselves on Snacks

Five survivors, including a 7-year-old girl, have been dramatically rescued three days after a passenger ship carrying approximately 70 people sank in Indonesian waters.

According to reports from AP and AFP on July 19 (local time), the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency stated that five of the 25 people who went missing after the passenger ship KM Nurul Salsabila sank off the coast of South Sulawesi on July 15 were discovered yesterday afternoon.

The rescued survivors consist of one man and four women. They were first spotted by a fishing boat passing through the area and were subsequently rescued near Matalang Island.

It was reported that while drifting at sea, the survivors managed to hold on for four days by clinging to fish-attracting devices used by fishermen.

They told rescue workers that they had been separated from other passengers due to strong winds.

Muhammad Arif Anwar, an official from the Makassar Search and Rescue Office under the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, explained, "After the ship sank, the missing individuals survived on their own using equipment or makeshift buoyancy devices, climbing onto them."

Muhammad added that the survivors were exhausted and weak after drifting for four days with limited food and water, barely managing to survive on the remaining instant noodles and snacks they had.

Initially, it was reported that there were 24 missing people, but it was finally confirmed that the number was 25, one more than previously thought.

The total number of passengers on board the ship was also revised from the previously known 74 to 78.

The Makassar Search and Rescue Office plans to continue search operations for the remaining missing individuals by deploying five large vessels, reconnaissance aircraft, and helicopters.

The KM Nurul Salsabila, which departed from Jampea Island in South Sulawesi on the morning of July 15, suffered engine failure and sank in waters 73 km away from Selayar Island.

Immediately after the accident, 52 people were rescued, but one woman was found dead.

Indonesia, an archipelago consisting of over 17,000 islands, relies on ships as a primary means of transportation. However, due to lax safety regulations, it is common for passenger counts to differ from manifests, and maritime accidents caused by severe weather occur frequently.

In 2018, a passenger ship carrying over 200 people sank in a volcanic crater lake in North Sumatra, resulting in 167 deaths.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.