Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia are searching for 27 people reported missing after a passenger boat sank off the coast of Maluku province, authorities said on Tuesday.
The vessel, carrying dozens of passengers, went down late Monday night near the waters of Tanimbar Islands. Officials confirmed that several survivors have been rescued, but many remain unaccounted for as search operations continue.
Local disaster management agencies, supported by the navy and police, have deployed boats and divers to comb the area. Strong currents and rough seas have complicated the rescue efforts, raising concerns about the fate of those missing.
Incidents of boat accidents are frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where sea transport is a common mode of travel despite safety challenges and limited infrastructure.
Authorities said investigations are underway to determine the cause of the sinking, while families of the missing await updates as rescue teams intensify their search.
