Current:Home > News4 Australian tourists are rescued after being missing in Indonesian waters for 2 days -InvestTomorrow
4 Australian tourists are rescued after being missing in Indonesian waters for 2 days
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:16:59
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Four Australian tourists were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia’s Aceh province, the father of one of the Australians said Tuesday.
Peter Foote, the father of Elliot Foote, who had traveled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends, said he received a text message from his son saying he is okay.
“It says: ‘Hey Dad, Elliot here. I’m alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later,’” Peter Foote said at a news conference on Tuesday. “It’s great, it’s good news. I’ll have to talk to him and want to see photos and see what he looks like. It’s all good.”
A wooden speedboat carrying the four Australians and three Indonesians ran into bad weather on Sunday. The details of how they ended up in the sea remain unclear.
There is no information about three Indonesians who were in the same boat. A search and rescue team expanded its focus area and added more boats and planes to look for them, officials said Tuesday.
Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard to an island to raise the alarm, and that the other three Australians were found clinging to their boards at sea.
Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse, and friends Will Teagle and Jordan Short, along with the three Indonesians, were in the boat in the waters around Sarang Alu and Banyak islands. They were part of a group of 12 Australians and five Indonesians in two boats who were traveling to Pinang Island, a destination known for its pristine beach and good waves for surfing.
The boats left Nias island, which is located around 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Indonesia’s Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced bad weather with very heavy rain during the trip.
Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip. The resort on Pinang Island later reported to the agency that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived later on Sunday night, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.
Peter Foote said he expected his son and friends would continue the final eight days of their surfing vacation.
Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, and ferries and boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.
In July, an overloaded passenger boat capsized off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing 15 people.
In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people. In one of the country’s worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. Only 20 people survived.
___
Associated Press journalist Rod McGuirk wrote from Canberra, Australia.
veryGood! (15268)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Supreme Court allows federal agents to cut razor wire Texas installed on US-Mexico border
- Rihanna Should Take a Bow for Her Reaction to Meeting One of the Hottest B---hes Natalie Portman
- Property Brothers’ Drew Scott and Wife Linda Phan Expecting Baby No. 2
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- A college student fell asleep on the train. She woke up hours later trapped inside.
- Burton Wilde: Detailed Introduction of Lane Wealth Club
- GOP Senate contenders in Ohio face off for their first statewide debate
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Alabama calls nitrogen execution method ‘painless’ and ‘humane,’ but critics raise doubts
Ranking
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- The Best Galentine’s Day Gifts To Show Your Bestie Some Love
- Lindsay Lohan Is Reuniting With This Mean Girls Costar for Her Next Movie
- Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes break Bills' hearts again. But 'wide right' is a cruel twist.
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Video shows small asteroid burning up as it zooms through skies over eastern Germany
- Woman charged with killing Hollywood consultant Michael Latt pleads not guilty
- Former gang leader charged with killing Tupac Shakur gets new lawyer who points to ‘historic’ trial
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Trial ordered for 5th suspect in shooting outside high school that killed 14-year-old, hurt others
Dexter Scott King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62
Burton Wilde: Effective Hedging Strategies in the US Stock Market
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
This $329 Kate Spade Crossbody Is on Sale for Just $65 Today Only & It Literally Goes With Any Outfit
Could falling inflation trigger layoffs and a recession? Hint: Watch corporate profits
TikTok cuts jobs as tech layoffs continue to mount