SYDNEY (Reuters) – Four Australian surfers have been found alive after their boat went missing in bad weather off the east coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday, however at least one of three Indonesian crew members is believed to still be missing.
The seven were aboard a 10-metre (30 foot) wooden vessel travelling from Nias Island to Aceh province’s Banyak Islands when they were separated from a second vessel during bad weather around 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to Indonesia’s national rescue agency.
All four surfers had been found safe, according to Nine News, citing the father of Elliot Foote, one of the missing. Separate video footage showed father Peter Foote reading a text from his son: “Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later.”
Unconfirmed reports said two of the Indonesia crew have also been found safe but one was still missing at sea.
Indonesia’s national rescue agency told Reuters it had dispatched a rescue team to the survivors location but did not confirm any information about those rescued.
Father Peter Foote told reporters he wanted his son and friends to finish the remainder of their holiday.
“It’s been hard, but it’s all good now,” he told Sky News. “Can’t wait to talk to him. Wow, what an adventure he’s having, a story to tell. He’s come out the other end well so it’s all good.”
Accidents involving boats are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
