Search Continues for 4 Missing Spaniards After Boat Sinks in Komodo Park

Indonesian rescuers scoured rough waters off Padar Island on Saturday for four members of a Spanish family missing after a tour boat sank the previous evening in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site popular with international tourists.

The vessel, carrying 11 people including a Spanish family of six, four crew members and a local guide, went down Friday evening during a trip from Komodo Island toward Padar Island. Officials attributed the sinking to engine failure amid high waves and strong currents in the Padar Island Strait near Labuan Bajo, the main gateway to the park. Seven people were rescued, including the Spanish mother and one of her daughters, along with the four crew members and the guide. Three survivors were pulled from the water by a passing vessel, while four others, including the Spanish woman and her daughter, were retrieved by a search and rescue team.

Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, said the operation covered a five-nautical-mile radius around the sinking site, where teams located debris from the boat. Rescuers deployed multiple units in rigid inflatable boats, a navy vessel equipped with diving gear and a rescue...