Groom among missing in deadly Indonesian boat sinking

PEMUTERAN, Indonesia (UPDATED) — A groom on his way to the island of Bali to get married is among those missing after a boat sank, leaving at least 20 dead and 24 unaccounted for, officials and friends said Thursday, October 9.

His wife-to-be was not on the wooden motorboat, which went down Monday after experiencing engine trouble, as she was in her home village on Bali waiting for her future husband and his family to arrive, family members of the bride said.

“We were all very shocked – what was supposed to be a joyful event turned to misery,” father of the bride, Mas’ut told AFP.

Mas’ut said he heard the news from the groom himself, who called him before he went missing.

“He called me and shouted in panic, ‘the boat is sinking!’ and after that the connection was cut off,” he said.

The parents of the groom, called Ahmad Yani, and other relatives were also on the boat heading to the wedding from their home on the small island of Pulau Raas, off the eastern tip of main Java island.

Rescuers on Thursday pulled out 4 bodies, but later called off the search due to bad weather, said Asnawi, head of the search operation.

The search to find the 24 people who remain missing, including the groom, will continue again in the morning, he said.

The boat was carrying 52 people, instead of 49 as was previously reported, as more people came forward to the authorities and reported their relatives were also on the boat.

The boat, which set off at 8am Monday and was supposed to arrive in Bali late afternoon, began taking on water and sank after its engine failed, according to officials.

Eight people were rescued alive Wednesday, two days after the boat sank, when they were spotted by fishermen floating in the water 3 kilometers from Pulau Raas.

On Bali, Mas’ut had to inform the sad news to the 2,000 guests invited to the wedding.

“If the groom survived I am ready to marry him with my daughter,” he said, adding that she had locked herself in the room and refused to eat after hearing the news.

All the passengers on the boat were believed to be Indonesian.

Indonesia relies heavily on boats to connect its more than 17,000 islands, but has a poor maritime safety record. Boats are often overcrowded and not equipped with enough life jackets and life boats.

In August, a tour boat carrying 25 people sank as it made its way from the island of Lombok near Bali to Komodo Island, a popular tourist destination.

Most of the passengers, who were mainly European tourists, survived. Some had to swim a great distance to a volcanic island and survived until being rescued by drinking their own urine and eating leaves. Two Spanish men were never found. — Rappler.com