One dead, 24 missing after boat sinks in Indonesia: Rescuers

JAKARTA: A passenger boat sank off an Indonesian island, killing at least one person and leaving 24 others missing, the local search and rescue agency said on Thursday (Jul 16).An engine failure caused the boat to sink as it sailed near Selayar, a small island south of the larger Sulawesi, said the head of the local search and rescue agency, Muhammad Arif Anwar.The crew was unable to repair the engine, prompting the skipper to call local authorities requesting evacuation, he told AFP.The boat was already partially sunken when rescuers reached it on Thursday, according to Arif. Forty-nine people were rescued, one woman was found dead, and "24 people are still being searched for", said Arif.“The challenge is the weather, with waves 2m to 2.5m high at the search site. The winds are also stron