Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - Indonesian search and rescue teams on the 10th day of operations have recovered the body of a Spanish national who died after the tourist boat Putri Sakinah sank off Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara Province last week, officials said on Sunday.
Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office and the on-site mission coordinator, said the body was found after joint SAR teams conducted an intensive sweep of several small islands near the site where the vessel went down.
“The joint SAR team deployed sonar equipment and carried out underwater dives as part of the effort to locate the missing victims,” Rahman said, adding that the operation involved personnel from multiple agencies working in difficult sea conditions.
The latest discovery brings to two the number of victims found dead since the accident. Last week, the body of a 12-year-old child was recovered, also identified as a Spanish national, according to authorities.
East Nusa Tenggara police spokesman Henry Novika Chandra said forensic identification conducted by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team confirmed the latest victim as Fernando Martin Carreras, an adult male and a Spanish citizen.
“Yes, that is correct. The body has been identified as an adult male Spanish national,” Chandra told reporters in Kupang, noting that the victim was a football coach affiliated with Valencia FC.
The maritime accident occurred when the wooden pinisi vessel Putri Sakinah, which was carrying tourists, sank in the waters of the Padar Island Strait, a popular destination within the Komodo National Park area near Labuan Bajo.
The boat was carrying 11 people, including six foreign tourists from Spain, one local tour guide, and four Indonesian crew members, officials said.
Seven people were rescued alive shortly after the incident. Four others were initially reported missing, triggering a large-scale search operation involving navy units, police, local fishermen and volunteer divers.
Search efforts are continuing for the remaining missing victims, with authorities saying operations will be maintained as long as conditions allow.
Labuan Bajo, a gateway to Komodo National Park, has seen a rise in marine tourism in recent years, raising renewed concerns over maritime safety standards in Indonesia’s eastern waters.
