Jakarta, IO – A boat carrying seven tourists reportedly capsized in the waters of Tanjung Batu Burung, Saparua, Central Maluku, Saturday (4/11).
Of the seven passengers, six survived while a person named David Matheos Amahirseja, 49, went missing, per CNNIndonesia, Monday (6/11).
He was one of three tourists who came from Saparua along with Nurul Hidayah Wattiheluw, 30, and Lukas Souisa, 60.
Meanwhile, four other people are students and activists of Dutch descent, namely Orbions Daan and De Koning Gaia Annelee, 21, Van Ser Lely Thom Luuk Stephan, and Lafeber Cornelis, 65.
Initially, they went on a trip to Malona Island, Saparua, Central Maluku, on Saturday (4/11). After the tour, they decided to return to Haria village. However, on the way, the boat was hit by a strong wave at around 3.15pm WIT.
Nurul, one of the survivors, explained that they still managed to stay in the boat for several minutes while asking for help via telephone.
However, the boat slowly capsized at around 4.30pm WIT. They decided to jump into the sea to save themselves.
“We tried to get help by phone approximately two kilometers from Malona Island but there was no signal,” he said.
Read: The Increase Of Informal Sector Workers
While swimming, Nurul said they still managed to stay together, but due to high waves and too strong currents, one victim got separated. The remaining six people managed to survive after swimming for an hour to the beach and then asking local residents for help.
Ambon City SAR agency spokesperson Riski Budianto confirmed the incident. Rescue personnel have been dispatched to the area. However, the missing person has yet to be found. (un)