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Fishing vessel sinks in Banda Sea, three crew still missing
Three crew members are missing after fishing vessel KM Sweet sank en route to Ambon city from Banda Neira Island. Five others were rescued on Wednesday.
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Illustration of a sinking ship. Three crew members are missing after the KM Sweet fishing vessel sank en route from Banda Neira Island to Ambon city, while five others were rescued on Wednesday. (Shutterstock/Photovitamin)
T
hree sailors went missing after fishing vessel the KM Sweet sank while on its journey from Banda Neira Island in Central Maluku regency, Maluku, to the provincial capital of Ambon.
The ship reportedly sank after it was heavily damaged by high waves. Of the crew, five survivors have been rescued while three remain missing.
"The fishing boat capsized after it was hit by waves. Three out of eight crew members are still missing, while five were found safe wearing life jackets," the Ambon office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) chief Muhammad Arif Anwar said on Thursday, as quoted by detik.com.
Arif said the vessel left Banda Neira on Sunday bound for the Nusantara Fisheries Port in Tantui village, Ambon city. Banda Neira lies some 250 kilometers southeast of Ambon
However, about 10 nautical miles from Seri village, Nusaniwe district, Ambon, the ship was struck by high waves.
The waves caused severe damage to the ship's hull, resulting in the immediate sinking of the vessel. Following the incident, a joint SAR team was sent to find the eight crew members.
"We [Basarnas] are searching using the RBBs [rigid buoyancy boats], involving personnel from the Maluku Water and Air Police [Polairud], ship operators and the victims' families," said Arif.
