Four Australian tourists and three Indonesian crew members are missing after their boat was hit by a storm while travelling to the Banyak Islands off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia. The vessel, a wooden speedboat, failed to arrive at its destination, the Pinang resort, on Sunday, prompting a search and rescue operation.
The missing Australians have been identified as Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short. In a statement released through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, their families expressed their distress and thanked Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their assistance in the ongoing search efforts.
The boat departed Nias, off Sumatra, at around 3pm local time on Sunday, heading for Pinang resort, a journey of approximately four hours. It was one of two boats carrying Australian tourists; the other, with eight travellers and two crew, took shelter at Sarang Alu island due to poor weather and arrived safely at Pinang later that evening.
Local search authorities have reported that the missing boat did not have any tracking devices, and the search effort, involving three boats, has been hampered by adverse weather conditions. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance and working closely with Indonesian authorities.
