Inp.polri.go.id - Pangkalpinang. A joint Indonesian search and rescue team has officially ended efforts to locate six missing crew members of the KM Osela ship, which broke apart and sank off Karang Mardalena, north of Gelasa Island in Central Bangka, on 15 August 2025.

“We conducted the search for seven days in accordance with standard operating procedures. Three people were rescued, but six others remain missing,” said I Made Oka Astawa, the Head of the Pangkalpinang Search and Rescue Office, on Sunday (24/8/2025), as quoted by antaranews.com.

The joint team deployed five vessels, mobilized local fishing boats, and carried out aerial sweeps with a Bolcow helicopter, covering nearly the entire projected drift area extending toward Lingga, Riau Islands. Electronic broadcasts were also sent to alert passing ships.

Rescuers cited delayed reporting of the accident and unfavorable sea drift patterns as major challenges. Authorities will continue passive monitoring, reopening the operation if new sightings are reported. The six missing crewmen have been identified only by their initials.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)