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Four Australian tourists and two Indonesians were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia’s Aceh province, officials and the father of one of the Australians said.
A wooden speedboat carrying the four Australians and three Indonesian crew members ran into bad weather on Sunday. The details of how they ended up in the sea remain unclear.
Peter Foote, the father of one of the Australians on board, Elliot Foote, said he finally received a text message from his son saying he was alive and well after he and his party went missing at sea. He told the media Elliot had traveled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends.
One Indonesian crew member is still missing, according to the head of the local rescue agency.
Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard to an island to raise the alarm, and that the three other Australians were found clinging to their boards at sea. It is not clear how the two Indonesians survived.
Foote told Australian media the group was afloat for nearly two days while his son decided to paddle back to the nearest island and call for help.
They were part of a group of 12 Australians and five Indonesians in two boats who were traveling to Pinang Island, a destination known for its pristine beach and good waves for surfing.
The boats left Nias island, which is located around 93 miles from Indonesia’s Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced bad weather with very heavy rain during the trip.
Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip. The resort on Pinang Island later reported to the agency that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived later on Sunday night, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.
Peter Foote said he expected his son and friends would continue the final eight days of their surfing vacation.
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