Authorities Expand Search Area for Remaining 18 Missing KM Nurul Salsa Passengers

Makassar: Authorities have expanded the search area for the 18 passengers still missing from the sunken KM Nurul Salsa, six days after the incident.
 
The KM Nurul Salsa sank after experiencing engine failure on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in the waters west of Polassi Island, Bontosikuyu District, Selayar Islands Regency.
 
To date, authorities have recorded 59 survivors and one fatality, with 18 individuals still missing.
 
Basarnas Operations Director First Admiral Yudhi Bramantyo said the joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team would continue its search in the waters off Selayar.
 
The search will also cover the Pangkep Islands, where missing passengers may have washed ashore.
 
“We have expanded the total search area to 1,980 nautical miles,” First Admiral Yudhi said in Selayar Regency, South Sulawesi, on Monday, July 20, 2026.
 
The search operation has been divided into six sectors, involving naval vessels KRI Marlin and KRI Hiu, as well as rescue vessels KN SAR Kamajaya, KN SAR Pacitan, and KN SAR Puntadewa.
 
The search is also supported by aerial surveillance from a Boeing 737-200 aircraft based in Hasanuddin Air Force Base.
 
“Each sector will cover 396 nautical miles,” First Admiral Yudhi added.
 
(Jonathan Sianto)