Ship Sinks Off South Sulawesi, 18 Missing

A ferry, the KM Nurul Salsa, carrying 78 passengers, sank in the waters off Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday (15/7). The incident has resulted in one confirmed fatality, with 18 passengers still missing. Joint search and rescue teams are actively continuing their efforts. The vessel departed from Jampea Island bound for Benteng Port in Selayar around 5:00 AM WITA. The sinking occurred after the ship experienced engine trouble mid-journey, approximately 43 nautical miles west of Polassi Island, or about 43 NM from Benteng Port, Selayar. Out of the 78 individuals on board, 59 have been found safe. One body has been recovered, and the search for the remaining 18 passengers is ongoing. The list of passengers on the Nurul Salsa ferry, according to data from Basarnas South Sulawesi, includes: 1. Fildayanti (21) 2. Abraf (3) 3. Abrar (5) 4. Marlinana (31) 5. Wirda (38) 6. Ismail (36) 7. Sofyan (48) 8. Ratang (38) 9. Andi Ratuh (46) 10. Arfandi (36) 11. Wail / Nail (17) 12. Basriadi (45) 13. Dahlia (27) 14. Safutra (2) 15. Nur Aeda (50) 16. Halmiati (37) 17. H. Bahri (70) 18. Agung Akbar (15) 19. Farhan Ihwani (15) 20. Rosmaeni (59) 21. Naila (12) 22. Alfati (8) 23. Jinar (20) 24. Imel Aulia (19) 25. Nur Aisyah (20) 26. Elianti Nur (19) 27. Tasmar (49) 28. Jumrawahti (41) 29. Nirdawati (36) 30. Muh. Akip (25) 31. Akil Akbar (20) 32. Andi Sahril (40) 33. Yusuf (46) 34. Jasdim (36) 35. Nawir (51) 36. Naya (18) 37. Wahyudi (19) 38. Junaedi (56) 39. Muhammad Askar (4) 40. Salla (46) 41. Anhar (26) 42. Nasman (32) 43. Riswan (5) 44. Arjun (20) 45. Zikri (19) 46. Masran (30) 47. Irfandi (22) 48. Saldianto (25) 49. Dani (35) 50. Marling (36) 51. Igo (27) 52. H. Asdar (46) 53. Sitti Amang (55) 54. Andi Samad (62) 55. Diska (7) 56. Asseng (23) 57. Sri Ardita (17) 58. Nurmiati (46) 59. Jasmal (24). One deceased victim: 1. Salmawati (34). Eighteen passengers still missing: 1. Cia (19) 2. Bau Intang (50) 3. Sahrul Amin (53) 4. Madang (50) 5. Januari (12) 6. Maridaeng (60) 7. Umar (80) 8. Naura (13) 9. Nurhayati (45) 10. Malida (31) 11. Hasbi (41) 12. Hasriani (18) 13. Jusriawati (24) 14. Arfandi (27) 15. Jaenuddin (51) 16. Musliana (22) 17. Hasriati (44) 18. Naila (19). Maritime transport is a crucial mode of travel in Indonesia, an archipelago nation, and such incidents, while tragic, highlight ongoing safety concerns. The focus now shifts to the ongoing rescue operations and the subsequent investigation into the cause of the sinking.