A Spanish family of four – two adults and two children – has been reported missing following the sinking of a tourist boat in Indonesia at around 8.30pm on Friday (2.30pm Spanish mainland time) after the vessel suffered an engine failure.
The boat was carrying 11 people when it went down near Padar Island, close to the popular tourist destination of Labuan Bajo.
Seven people – among them two Spanish tourists, four crew members and a tour guide – were rescued. Search operations are continuing for the four missing Spaniards and could last three to four days, according to a TVE report.
Indonesian authorities have confirmed the disappearance to Spain, and the Spanish Consulate in Jakarta is providing full assistance to the tourists who are now out of danger, ‘through an embassy official who has already arrived in Labuan Bajo and is in contact with the families of those affected’, according to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited by TVE.
The Labuan Bajo port authority has attributed the sinking to strong waves reaching up to three metres. ‘This made it difficult for us to carry out the initial searches,’ said the head of the port authority, Stephanus Risdiyanto.
Padar Island remained closed to tourists on Saturday due to extreme weather conditions.
Maritime accidents are frequent in Indonesia – an archipelago of around 17,000 islands – often as a result of inadequate safety equipment, poor infrastructure, passenger and cargo overloading, lax enforcement of regulations, or adverse weather.
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Una familia española desaparecida tras el naufragio de un barco turístico en Indonesia https://t.co/qm8A9jRI2A
— EL MUNDO (@elmundoes) December 27, 2025
🔴 Cuatro españoles desaparecidos tras el naufragio de una embarcación en Bali, Indonesia
— Radio 5 (@radio5_rne) December 27, 2025
▪️ Los cuatro miembros pertenecen a la misma familia
▪️ La embarcación transportaba a once personas, el resto de ellas han sido rescatadas
🎙️ @Yosanzqui pic.twitter.com/a01Ap8uFQt
#Canal24Horas | Las autoridades de Indonesia han confirmado a España la desaparición de cuatro miembros de una familia española, tras sufrir un naufragio.
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) December 27, 2025
💬 @97AndreaSanchez https://t.co/vVRqw1kQ0I pic.twitter.com/iPGEAeheVb
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