Two more survivors from a passenger boat that sank off eastern Indonesia were found on an uninhabited island on Sunday, days after the vessel went down with more than 70 people onboard. Rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate other passengers who remain missing. The boat sank on Wednesday while travelling near Selayar, a small island located south of Sulawesi. The latest rescue operation found a man and a woman who had managed to reach a small island by holding onto a makeshift flotation device. According to local search-and-rescue officials, the two survivors said four other people who had been with them did not survive.

Muhammad Arif Anwar, a local rescue official, said some passengers became too weak to continue holding on to the floating device and eventually drifted away. "Some of them became weak and could no longer hold on to the raft, and eventually drifted away," Anwar said, adding that rescue teams hoped to locate more survivors. The latest discovery came a day after five other survivors were rescued from the sea after spending three days floating in the water. Among those rescued was a seven-year-old girl. Officials said the survivors used improvised flotation devices after the boat sank.

Some passengers reportedly tied together items such as jerry cans and pieces of cork using ropes to create makeshift rafts that allowed them to remain above water. The five survivors rescued earlier were found by local fishermen on Saturday afternoon. The fishermen alerted authorities after discovering the group struggling in the sea. Rescue officials said the survivors were exhausted and weak after spending several days without sufficient food and drinking water.

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They survived by consuming limited supplies, including packets of instant noodles and biscuits. The sinking has triggered a major search and rescue operation involving local authorities, fishermen and emergency teams. Officials are working to determine the exact number of missing passengers while continuing searches around the waters near Selayar. Indonesia, an archipelago nation with thousands of islands, frequently relies on passenger boats for transportation.

Maritime accidents are often linked to overcrowding, severe weather conditions, mechanical issues and safety concerns. Authorities have not yet provided a final account of casualties from the latest incident. Rescue teams are expected to continue operations as they search for additional survivors and missing passengers. The discovery of more survivors days after the sinking has raised hopes among families waiting for news about their relatives. Officials have said efforts will continue until all possible locations are thoroughly searched.

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