Australian surfers found alive after boat went missing; one Indonesian crew member still not found
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(Clockwise from top left) Surfers Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Jordan Short and Will Teagle were found safe.
PHOTOS: ELLIOTFOOTE/INSTAGRAM, JORDAN SHORT/FACEBOOK, 7NEWS
SYDNEY - Four Australian surfers have been found alive after their boat went missing in bad weather off the east coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday.
However, at least one of three Indonesian crew members is believed to still be missing.
The seven were aboard a 10m wooden vessel travelling from Nias Island to Aceh province’s Banyak Islands.
They were separated from a second vessel during bad weather at around 6pm on Sunday, according to Indonesia’s national rescue agency.
All four surfers had been found safe, according to Nine News, citing the father of Mr Elliot Foote, one of the missing.
Mr Elliot Foote after being found.
Separate video footage showed Mr Peter Foote reading a text from his son: “Hey dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later.”
Unconfirmed reports said two of the Indonesia crew members have also been found safe, but one was still missing at sea.
The moment the Australian surfers were found.
Indonesia’s national rescue agency told Reuters it had dispatched a rescue team to the survivors’ location, but did not confirm any information about those rescued.
Mr Peter Foote told reporters he wanted his son and friends to finish the remainder of their holiday.
“It’s been hard, but it’s all good now,” he told Sky News. “Can’t wait to talk to him. Wow, what an adventure he is having, a story to tell. He has come out the other end well, so it is all good.”
Incidents involving boats are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment. REUTERS