Jakarta. Indonesian search and rescue authorities have temporarily suspended the search for 14 people still missing after the KM Nurul Salsa ferry sank off the coast of South Sulawesi, ending a 10-day operation conducted under national rescue protocols.

Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas), said the operation was halted on Friday after rescue teams completed the standard seven-day search period, which had already been extended by three days following an on-site evaluation.

"The operation is being temporarily suspended in accordance with Basarnas' standard operating procedures," Arif told reporters in Makassar. He said a final evaluation would be conducted before formally closing the operation.

Following a joint verification by police and the Selayar Islands regency administration, authorities revised the ferry's passenger manifest from 78 to 76 people. Of the verified total, 58 people survived, four were confirmed dead, and 14 remain missing.

Basarnas stressed that suspending the search does not mean rescue efforts have ended permanently. The agency said the operation could be reopened if new information emerges or if members of the public discover any victims.

Search teams spent the final day combing waters around Sabalana Island, Sanana Island, Mattalang Island, and nearby uninhabited islets, where officials hoped some survivors may have drifted ashore.

Authorities said testimony from seven survivors indicated they initially stayed together with 19 other passengers on a single life raft after the vessel sank. The group later split into four rafts, causing survivors and missing passengers to become separated.

According to Arif, all five people aboard one raft survived, while only two of the five occupants of another raft were rescued. The remaining occupants of the third and fourth rafts have yet to be accounted for.

The search operation was supported by additional military personnel and equipment and was extended after two bodies were recovered near Sanana Island on the seventh day of the mission.

Rescue teams also coordinated with fishermen in Pangkep Regency, asking them to report any signs of missing passengers.

Basarnas said it will continue monitoring reports from local communities and fishermen and will resume search operations if new information leads to the discovery of any of the missing passengers.

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