Five Dutch tourists among 11 missing after speedboat vanishes off Sulawesi

Indonesian rescue teams are searching for a speedboat carrying 11 European tourists, including five Dutch nationals, and two local crew members. The group disappeared Friday morning off the island of Sulawesi, AP reports.

The vessel left Tanjung Unauna on Friday morning bound for Marisa in neighboring Gorontalo Province but never arrived. A local tour guide reported the boat missing to authorities around 3:40 p.m. Friday.

“We immediately started a search operation, but so far we have found no trace whatsoever,” the head of the search and rescue bureau said.

Indonesian authorities said the passengers consisted of five Dutch tourists, three Germans, one French woman, one Belgian, and one Czech, along with the two Indonesian crew members.

Dozens of rescue teams have been deployed across an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers. On Saturday, searchers encountered difficult sea conditions, including strong winds and waves up to 2.5 meters high.