Four Australian tourists and three Indonesian crew are missing after their boat encountered a storm on its way to a group of remote islands off the west coast of Indonesia.
A search and rescue operation was launched on Monday after the small boat failed to arrive at its resort island destination known for its surf and beaches on Sunday.
A statement issued by the four Australians’ families through the foreign affairs department on Monday evening named them as Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short.
“Our hearts are aching at the thought that Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan are missing at sea,” the statement said.
“We continue to pray and hold out hope they will be found.
“We’d like to thank the Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their ongoing assistance while search and rescue efforts continue.”
The vessel, reportedly a wooden speedboat, left Nias off Sumatra at about 3pm local time on Sunday and was headed for Pinang resort in the Banyak Islands off Aceh province – about a four-hour trip.
Local media reported that there were three Indonesian crew on board.
The boat was one of two travelling with Australian tourists – the other had eight travellers onboard and two crew, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
After encountering poor weather conditions, the other boat took shelter at a separate island, Sarang Alu, on Sunday night before continuing on and arriving at Pinang at about 10pm on Sunday.
The search effort, which reportedly included three boats, also encountered adverse weather conditions. Local search authorities were reported as warning the missing boat did not have any tracking devices.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the search and rescue operation was under way.
“(Dfat) is providing consular assistance to the families of four Australians onboard and is working closely with Indonesian authorities to support search and rescue efforts,” a spokesperson said.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those missing during this distressing time.”
