"The victims came from China. They have been evacuated by residents nearby," Bali SAR Office Head I Nyoman Sidakarya stated regarding the fatalities here.
The SAR Agency identified the two Chinese victims as Shi Guo Hong, 20, and Hanqing Yu, 37, both male. Their names appeared on the speedboat manifest.
The "Bali Dolphin Cruise 2" speedboat, which departed from Nusa Penida at 2:30 p.m. local time with 80 passengers and crew onboard, capsized as it approached the Port of Sanur on Tuesday at about 3:15 p.m. local time.
After receiving the first emergency notification at 4:25 p.m. local time, the SAR Agency promptly dispatched eight officers and a rigid inflatable boat to the accident site. Residents also assisted in evacuating the victims using their own boats.
The joint SAR team also conducted an aerial search with a thermal drone.
The authority recorded that 73 out of the 75 passengers were foreign nationals, while the other two were Indonesian nationals. The boat was operated by five crew members.
A total of 77 people have been rescued from the capsized speedboat, while two others were found dead. The Bali SAR Agency reported that one boat crew member, identified as Kadek Adi, a 23-year-old male, remains missing.
Port of Benoa Authority Head Aprianus Hangki stated that natural factors likely contributed to the accident, adding that the ship was not overloaded when it overturned.
"The ship was hit by waves, causing it to capsize," Hangki stated, adding that the speedboat's captain may not have anticipated the high tide in Sanur.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi expressed his condolences for the "Bali Dolphin Cruise 2" speedboat accident in Sanur and pledged a swift response from authorities.
"Representing the government, I apologize for the incident and promise to carry out the accident response and investigation immediately," the minister stated in his remarks on Wednesday.
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Translator: Ni Putu Putri M, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Arie Novarina
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