Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry intensified coordination with rescue agencies and the Spanish Embassy after a tourist boat sank off Labuan Bajo, eastern Indonesia, leaving four Spanish nationals missing and prompting a temporary halt to tourist sailings.
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said in Jakarta on Sunday that her ministry has worked closely with the Spanish Embassy to ensure consular support and coordinated assistance as search efforts continue in the waters near Padar Island.
According to Wardhana, Spanish authorities have conveyed appreciation for the swift response by Indonesian rescue teams, while both sides are focused on maximizing efforts to locate the four people still unaccounted for.
The wooden phinisi tourist boat Putri Sakina sank in the Padar Strait after being struck by waves reaching up to two meters, causing engine failure, officials said. Four Spanish tourists — identified as Valencia CF women’s football coach Fernando Martin Careras and his three children — remain missing.
Seven people, including passengers and crew, were rescued from the vessel, authorities said, and were reported to be in stable condition following the incident.
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Wardhana expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the ministry had deployed senior staff to oversee coordination and ensure information flows smoothly between agencies involved in the response.
She said the minister’s expert staff and officials from the Labuan Bajo Authority had been sent to the area to liaise directly with Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas, which is leading the operation.
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Under standard operating procedures, search and rescue efforts will continue for up to seven days, with daily evaluations based on weather conditions and the safety of personnel operating at sea.
As a precaution, port authorities under the Transportation Ministry have imposed a temporary ban on tourist boat operations in Labuan Bajo and the Komodo Islands from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, 2026, or until further notice.
The Tourism Ministry said it remains committed to prioritizing visitor safety, strengthening cross-agency coordination and ensuring the incident is handled transparently, humanely and with full accountability.
