o:p>At least eight people are missing following a speedboat collision on the Sebangau River in Central Kalimantan involving members of an advance team preparing for a Dutch royal visit.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah confirmed the incident on Monday.
The team was preparing for a visit by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his delegation to the Sebangau National Park near Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan scheduled for Thursday. The national park is one of several places the Dutch king plans to visit during his four-day stay in the archipelago.
“The accident occurred when the boat owned by the area’s military command hit a boat owned by the Sebangau National Park that was sailing back from the Mangkok Resort,” Faizasyah said in a statement.
At least seven passengers aboard the Sebangau National Park’s boat and one passenger aboard the military command’s boat have reportedly gone missing.
“We’re still searching for them,” Faizasyah added.
Two staff members of the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta who were also involved in the accident have been taken to the Siloam Hospital in Palangkaraya.
Meanwhile, two officers from the National Sebangau Park have been taken to the Doris Sylvanus General Hospital in Palangkaraya.
“The government is following all developments regarding the accident and has taken the necessary measures in the field,” Faizasyah added.
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