Rescuers Recover Body of Spanish Child in Labuan Bajo Boat Accident

Labuan Bajo: Indonesia’s search and rescue team on Monday recovered the body of a Spanish child who had been reported missing after a tourist boat sank off Padar Island, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, last week.

The victim, a 12-year-old girl, was found dead on the fourth day of search operations, according to Maumere Search and Rescue Office operations chief Asfan Dulhasan.

“At 6:05 a.m. local time (GMT+8), we received a report from local residents who discovered the victim in waters off Serai Island, which is part of Komodo National Park,” Asfan said, as quoted by Antara on Monday, December 29, 2025.

He said the victim’s body was evacuated from the location and transported to Komodo Regional General Hospital in Labuan Bajo for further handling.

Search efforts will continue for up to seven more days to locate the remaining three victims, all of whom are Spanish nationals.

Maumere Search and Rescue Office head Fathur Rahman said the operation has been intensified with the deployment of the SAR vessel KN SAR Puntadewa 250, which arrived in the area on Sunday to reinforce search capabilities.

The wooden tourist vessel KM Putri Sakinah, carrying four crew members and seven passengers, was traveling from Komodo Island to Padar Island when it sank on Friday night, December 26, after being hit by high waves that caused engine failure, officials said.

Seven people were rescued from the incident, while four others — a father and his three children — were reported missing.

The father was identified as Fernando Martin Careras, a coach of Valencia CF’s women’s football team.