Of the 18 survivors, seven managed to reach the nearest island on Monday, while 11 others were reported missing at sea but were found alive by rescuers on Tuesday, the agency's acting head, Lahmuddin Siregar, stated.
A joint team of rescuers from the BPBD, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and several local government agencies evacuated the survivors from the coasts of the hamlets of Guluk-Guluk, Mapinang, and Mangaungau, he revealed.
Most survivors were exhausted, having swum for hours using life rings to reach the nearest coasts. The rescuers found the last survivor in Mangaungau Hamlet, he added.
The evacuees are in dire need of medical treatment and will be sent to a hospital upon arrival in Tuapeijat, the capital of Mentawai Islands District, Siregar stated.
Tuapeijat is about a 3.5-hour boat trip by vessel from where the 11 survivors were evacuated, he remarked.
Several fatal accidents have continued to challenge Indonesia's reputation in transportation safety over the past seven years, during which the country had borne witness to a series of fatal accidents.
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, a longboat carrying 13 soccer players capsized off the waters of Selat Nenek Island near Batam City, Riau Islands.
Ten people survived, while three others reportedly went missing.
On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, Tunu Pratama Jaya roll-on/roll-off vessel, carrying 12 crew members, 53 passengers, and 22 cars, capsized in the rough waters off Bali Island.
As of Monday, July 14, 2025, the death toll from the ferry mishap stood at 18, thirty were found alive, and 17 others remained missing.
On June 18, 2018, the MV Sinar Bangun, carrying 202 passengers, met its watery grave at the bottom of Lake Toba in North Sumatra Province.
Consequently, three passengers lost their lives, 164 others went missing, and only 21 survived the tragedy that struck at a time when the Indonesian government was making all-out efforts to promote Lake Toba as one of the 10 priority "Beyond Bali" destinations.
Related news: SAR team evacuates four foreign nationals in Mentawai waters
Translator: M.Zulfikar, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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