Four Australian tourists have been rescued after a boat crash off the coast of Indonesia. They spent 36 hours afloat in the open ocean using surfboards as life rafts, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
These Australian vacationers were reportedly on a private Indonesian island. On Sunday evening, they went on a sea excursion in two boats and got into a severe storm. One of the boats managed to make it to shore, while the other, which was carrying four Australians and three Indonesians from the crew, disappeared.
The disappeared were searched by both Indonesian rescuers and representatives of Australia, as well as rescued friends of tourists and local residents, including volunteers.
On Tuesday, rescuers found three Australians and two crew members at a distance of 37 kilometers from the coast. It turned out that their boat sank, but thanks to the surfboards they were able to stay afloat. Another foreign tourist was rescued a few hours later by a local fisherman.
In total, the group of tourists and the crew spent 36 hours on the open ocean. All of them were safely delivered to the shore and intend to continue their vacation.
Rescuers continue to search for the third crew member, spending them in the water area.