11 missing after speedboat capsizes off Mentawai Islands in Indonesia's West Sumatra

JAKARTA -- Eleven people are missing and 7 others have survived after a speedboat capsized off the coast of the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia's West Sumatra province on Monday, according to Dio Ulwi Finanda, head of the emergency unit of the local search and rescue office.

The speedboat was traveling from Sikakap Island to Sipora Island, both part of the Mentawai Islands, when it went down in the waters between the two, Finanda told Xinhua early Tuesday morning.

"The sea incident occurred at around 11:00 a.m. Jakarta time," he said. "But seven of the boat's occupants managed to swim to shore. They arrived at around 5:00 p.m."

Following the report, the search and rescue office deployed one rigid inflatable boat and one ship with rescue personnel to the scene. However, when they arrived, the speedboat was nowhere to be found.

"The search for the wreckage and the other occupants is ongoing. So far, no one has been discovered," Finanda said.

Rescue operations are set to resume on Tuesday. The cause of the incident remains unknown.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has issued warnings of extreme weather conditions in Indonesian waters.