Search Intensified For Missing Spanish Family After Tourist Boat Sinks In Indonesia

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

LABUAN BAJO, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – Indonesian authorities have intensified the search for a Spanish father and his children missing after a traditional wooden tourist boat sank near Padar Island, off the coast of eastern Indonesia, close to the world-famous Komodo National Park.

The motor vessel KM Putri Sakinah went down on the night of December 26 while sailing in rough seas near Labuan Bajo, a major international tourism gateway. Eleven people were on board, including six Spanish nationals, officials said.

Search coordinators confirmed that cellphone signals linked to missing passenger Fernando Martin Carreras — a soccer coach with Spain’s Valencia women’s reserve team — were detected on December 26 and again on December 28.

Budi Widjaja, a senior official with Indonesia’s marine tourism association Gahawisri, said advanced sonar technology is being used because the signal appeared to “move,” suggesting the phone may be underwater and drifting with strong currents.

Search zones include waters north and south of Padar Island, Batu Tiga, Taka Makasar and near Nusa Kode, he added.

SPANISH JOIN RESCUE

Spain’s deputy ambassador to Indonesia, Fernando Burgos Sainz, joined Indonesian authorities and family representatives at sea as the operation entered its second week.

Officials said the family had requested to join the search from the first day but were initially advised against doing so because of emotional strain. They were later allowed aboard a search vessel alongside Spanish embassy representatives.

Indonesian rescuers earlier recovered the body of a female victim north of Serai Island. The family confirmed she was one of the missing children, adding that Fernando Martin and his two other children remain unaccounted for.

In a written statement, the family said they would not return to Spain “without all four of us together,” while asking for privacy as the search continues.

Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, said up to 79 personnel — including professional divers, underwater drones and multi-beam sonar capable of reaching depths of 180 meters (about 591 feet) — are involved in the operation.

STRONG CURRENTS REPORTED

Authorities said strong and shifting currents caused by the convergence of the Flores Sea and the Sape Strait have significantly expanded the search area.

Despite earlier weather warnings, officials said conditions deteriorated rapidly that night, with unusually high waves striking the vessel shortly before it sank.

The tragedy has renewed debate over maritime safety standards in Labuan Bajo, one of Indonesia’s priority tourism destinations, and elsewhere in the Muslim-majority nation.

Industry observers warn that rapid tourism growth, limited inspection capacity and increasingly extreme weather risks have created vulnerabilities.

Still, Indonesian officials stressed the search will continue.

“We owe the family certainty and closure,” Widjaja said. “This is about humanity, not blame.”

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