UPDATE - 17 survive after boat capsized off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands

Search and rescue operation underway as 1 person still missing

UPDATES WITH MORE SURVIVORS; ADDS DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE; EDITS THROUGH

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Some 17 people survived and one is still missing after a speedboat capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands in the West Sumatra province in bad weather, marking the second such disaster this month, the local rescue agency said Tuesday.

Initially, the Mentawai search and rescue agency reported 11 people missing after Monday's incident, with 10 found safe.

The survivors managed to swim to the shores of nearby islands.

A search and rescue operation is underway as one person is still missing.

Seven people had already been rescued, the agency said in a statement.

The boat, which was carrying 10 local government officials and eight other passengers, departed Sikakap, a small town on the Mentawai Islands, and was heading to the town of Tuapejat when it capsized.

On July 3, a ferry carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members capsized while traveling from Java to Bali, killing at least 18 people, with 30 rescued so far.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has recently issued warnings of extreme weather conditions in Indonesian waters.


* Writing by Aamir Latif

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