TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Indonesian Coast Guard on Friday (March 15) discovered the body of a Taiwanese tourist who drowned after a ship carrying 35 people overturned and sank in waters off the coast of Jakarta on Monday (March 11).
Everyone else on the boat was successfully found and rescued shortly after the boat sank in waters near Rambut Island, per VOA. However, the Taiwanese national, a 46-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), could not be found, prompting a multi-day search effort by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.
Early on March 12, the agency dispatched seven vessels and nearly 100 personnel, including divers, to search for the missing Taiwanese man, reported the Jakarta Post. After several days of searching in difficult conditions, Chang’s body was found in the ocean on Friday with no signs of life, not far from where the boat overturned.
According to a report from Upmedia, the boat, which was owned by the Asha Resort in the Thousand Islands Regency, ran into strong waves while carrying tourists between islands. In addition to Chang, the vessel was also carrying three other Taiwanese, one South Korean, five Chinese nationals, 22 Indonesian tourists, and three crew members.
Taiwan’s representative office in Indonesia confirmed that family members of the deceased have contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance. Chang was reportedly an employee of a Taiwanese company in Indonesia.
