Rescuers have ended their search for a missing Indonesian crew member one week after a boat with seven on board, including four Australians, hit bad weather off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, officials said on Monday.
Key points:
- Fifan Satria is the only person not to be found after a boat hit bad weather off Sumatra in Indonesia
- Rescuers have called off their search for him, after looking for seven days
- Four Australians and two Indonesians also on the boat were found at sea last week
The search was launched last week after authorities received a report that one of two boats headed for Pinang island from Nias island had failed to reach its destination.
Australians Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short — as well as two Indonesians — were found safe nearly two days after the boat was hit by bad weather.
But rescuers failed to find traces of the remaining crew member, Fifan Satria, after searching for seven days — and ended their operation on Sunday, according to local search and rescue agency head Octavianto.
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“The search from the first until the seventh day has been effectively conducted, not only at sea but also along the shorelines around the Banyak islands, but the result was still zero,” Octavianto told news agency Agence France-Presse.
He said authorities would help to evacuate Mr Satria if they received new information.
An online fundraiser has been launched by Amy Teagle, sister of rescued Australian Will Teagle, that aims to raise $100,000 to support Mr Satria’s family.
A description posted on the fundraiser states that its aims are “to assist and support the family and community of the one crew member who is still missing, to compensate the people who committed their time and resources to the rescue effort, and to help ensure nothing like this happens again”.
AFP/ABC