South Bangka. Two employees of state-owned tin mining company Timah were rescued in a dramatic operation early Thursday after their boat began sinking off the coast of South Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Province.

The workers -- identified as Bagus, 27, and Rivansyah, 19 -- were stranded at sea for several hours before a search and rescue (SAR) team safely evacuated them at 6:35 a.m. local time.

According to reports, the two men had moved a company boat away from the dockyard late Wednesday night amid strong winds and high waves. However, seawater began flooding the cabin shortly afterward, leaving them adrift.

Their absence was noticed when they failed to make contact with the ground office by 3 a.m. A concerned colleague alerted the SAR office in Pangkalpinang, prompting the dispatch of a rescue team.

Using a Navy speedboat, the SAR team reached the scene and located the workers hanging on the capsized boat.

“At 6:35 a.m., the SAR team successfully evacuated the two victims and transported them to South Bangka Municipal Hospital for further medical examination,” said I Made Oka Astawa, head of the Pangkalpinang SAR Office.

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