Speedboat with 11 European tourists on board vanishes as urgent search operation launched off coast of Indonesia

A SPEEDBOAT with 11 European tourists and two crew members on board has vanished off the coast of Indonesia. Rescuers are now searching for the vessel that went missing off a bay on Sulawesi Island more than 24 hours ago. A diving boat with Manado Tua in the background, Bunaken National Marine Park Credit: Alamy Boats moored by wooden buildings on a tropical island, Tumbak Bentenan Marine Park, Minahasa Credit: Alamy Sea conditions – including powerful winds and waves reaching up to 2.5 metres high – are making the operation challenging. A Czech man, a Belgian man, five Dutch nationals, three Germans, a French woman and two Indonesian crew members are believed to have been on board. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The group departed Tojo Unauna regency in Central Sulawesi province on Friday morning bound for Marisa Port in the neighbouring Gorontalo province but failed to arrive as scheduled. The alarm was raised by a local guide several hours later. Read more about Indonesia “Concerns arose when their speedboat had not arrived by afternoon,” said Heriyanto, Head of the Gorontalo Province Search and Rescue Office. “We immediately launched a search mission overnight but until now have not found any signs of the vessel or people on board. “We hope all victims can be found soon.” Heriyanto added that dozens of search and rescue teams were deployed to cover approximately 300 square nautical miles of waters along and around Tomini Bay. Most read in The Sun The area is a renowned marine tourism destination, with dozens of islands dotting its vast waters, based on the tour boat’s route projections. A thermal-imaging drone and diving equipment are also being used in the search, he said. Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, where boats are a common form of transportation. Lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding frequently result in accidents. The incident comes after a passenger boat carrying 76 people sank off Selayar Island, killing at least four people. Another 14 remain missing, including a 10-year-old boy. Authorities officially ended the search on Friday after 58 people were rescued over the course of 10 days. Earlier this month, at least six people died and dozens went missing after a ferry with 65 people on board sank off the coast of Bali. Comment now