An Indonesian vessel, carrying more than 100 people on board, has gone missing off the coast of Sulawesi. Out of the 122 passengers, only four have been rescued so far as rescuers struggle to find any remaining survivors.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Team Agency, water police, as well as other agencies, are searching the waters after port authorities lost contact with the ship after its engine broke down. It is still unclear whether the ship had sunk or not. Adi Sultan, who is coordinating with the search and rescue teams, said that the search teams and a fisherman rescued an old lady, two men and a boy from the sea around 8 a.m. The four are currently being treated at a hospital, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The ship, named Marina Baru, had departed from Kolaka in southeast Sulawesi. However, police speculate that the ship went underwater 12 miles away from its destination. At least 14 children were aboard the ship, but there still are signs that the ship may still be afloat, RT reported.
Local search and rescue head Roki Asikin said that the four survivors were found clinging to fishing buoys in the rough, open seas about 15 nautical miles from the mainland.
"These waves are very high," said Roki Asikin. "It took three hours to evacuate to the mainland."
Rough conditions hampered efforts to rescue the vessel after it had sent out a distress signal Saturday afternoon, reporting an accident. Reports did indicate that there would be rough weather in the days leading up to the accident. This is not the first incident of its kind to happen in the region, though, as just this week, a Danish cargo ship collided with a tanker and sank in Indonesia's west, with some its crew still missing, according to Asia Times.
