Indonesian rescuers recovered a third body on Tuesday from a tour boat that sank during a Christmas holiday trip in Indonesia, officials said. The recovery left two sons of Spanish soccer coach Fernando Martín still missing.
The boat went down on the evening of Dec. 26 after suffering engine failure in Indonesia’s Komodo National Park area. Officials said Martín, 44, and his wife were aboard with their four children, along with four crew members and a local guide.
In the hours after the sinking, Martín’s wife and one child were rescued, along with the four crew members and the local guide. The search continued for other family members as the incident expanded into a broader tragedy for the coach’s holiday group.
Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, said the third body was recovered near the coast of Pede beach after fishermen spotted the wreckage. Rahman said the wreckage had been washed away nearly 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) from where the boat sank.
Relatives said they wanted the remains handled in accordance with their wishes, given limitations in local facilities. East Nusa Tenggara Police spokesperson Ariasandy said the bodies of Martín and his daughter were cremated in Bali on Monday.
Ariasandy, who goes by a single name, said the decision followed relatives’ wishes and was influenced by limited space at a mortuary in Labuan Bajo. The report also said two sons were still missing at the time of the latest recovery.
The AP report said Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, where boats are a common form of transportation. The report attributed frequent accidents to lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding.