Mentawai, West Sumatra. Ten people are missing after a boat carrying local councilors and government employees capsized in the Sipora Strait, off the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra, during bad weather.

“The boat carried 18 people; eight of them managed to swim ashore with life vests and reached Sikakap Village,” said Dhio, an official from the Search and Rescue Agency, on Tuesday.

The agency received a report about the incident at 5:40 p.m. on Monday, more than six hours after the boat overturned. A rescue team was immediately dispatched, taking about 90 minutes to reach the scene.

“Some of the victims were seen floating on the surface, but the team couldn’t reach them in time, and they eventually disappeared from sight,” Dhio said.

“We can’t disclose the identities of the missing passengers now out of respect for their families’ privacy.”

According to media reports, the passengers included seven officials from the maritime affairs and fishery department, a public works department official, a natural resources department official, two local councilors, a businessman, and four relatives.

The boat’s captain and his assistant are among the survivors.

Search and rescue efforts are now being supported by military personnel and the local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD). Authorities attributed the accident to bad weather conditions.

Add as a preferred source on Google +