PADANG, Indonesia — Residents of Indonesia's Mentawai Islands found several people stranded on Monday after a speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm the day before, authorities said. All were in good condition.
The boat, carrying mostly local administration officials, capsized while on its regular two-hour journey from Sikakap, a town in the Mentawai Islands district in West Sumatra, to the town of Tuapejat, according to Lahmudin, heads of the local Disaster Management Agency, who, like many Indonesians, uses only a single name.
Ten passengers, including three children and a local parliament member, clung to the wreckage and were found on Guluk Guluk beach, while the other was found near the village of Matobe, according to Mentawai Islands district chief, Rinto Wardana.
Seven, including the two crew members, had managed to reach the Mapinang fishing hamlet, after swimming for hours in the choppy waters, to seek help, Wardana said, adding they survived thanks to their ability to swim.
All survivors were transported to Tuapejat, where their families had been waiting for news.
An investigation is underway, "but survivors said the boat was hit by high waves in a sudden storm,'' Lahmudin said.
A rescue ship and an inflatable boat had been deployed for the search, with the assistance of local fishermen and residents, said Rudi, the local search and rescue agency chief who also goes by a single name.
Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed the operation taking place overnight in rough seas as rain fell.
