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wo foreign nationals — Fulvio Meregalli, 62, of Italy and Marion Rose Therese Lahaye, 33, of France — nearly drifted out to sea after their boat’s engine was damaged in the Malaccan Strait.

They were onboard an Indonesian-flagged boat from Bali heading to Malaysia, Meranti Islands Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Laode Proyek said. They first began their journey from Bali on Nov. 15 and arrived in Batam, Riau Islands province, in December.

Meregalli and Laheye then continued their trip to Malaysia when they sailed from Nongsa Pura port in Batam last Tuesday.

As they were passing the Malacca Strait, the boat suffered serious engine damage and Meregalli, the boat’s captain, could not repair it. The boat then drifted back to Belitung Bay in the Merbau district on Saturday evening.

“The captain lowered the anchor hoping to get back up to repair the boat,” Laode said on Monday.

He added that the two were in a healthy condition as they had equipped their boat with food and medical supplies. They also had all the necessary documents to travel by sea.

“We have searched the boat and we did not find any prohibited or dangerous goods,” Laode said.

The boat has been fixed and the sailors have continued their trip.