Boat Capsizes in Mentawai Islands, 10 People Missing (Video)

“The boat carried 18 people; eight of them managed to swim ashore with life vests and reached Sikakap Village,” a rescue official said. "Some of the victims were seen floating on the surface, but the team couldn’t reach them in time, and they eventually disappeared from sight."

At least 10 government officials were on the boat, reports said. However, the rescue official stated: “We can’t disclose the identities of the missing passengers now out of respect for their families’ privacy."

It’s also not the first instance of a frantic boat rescue in Indonesia recently. Just last month, a passenger boat carrying around 100 people capsized in Bali, sending the commuters – many of whom being tourists – running, and swimming, for their lives.

“The one point of exit was literally a small little hatch,” said Andy Wood, a man from Perth aboard the boat with his wife and two kids. “So, I think the people, particularly in the back where the water was coming in, were in a real panic state.”

“It was just people who weren’t used to being familiar in water,” Wood continued. “And I think the majority of them couldn’t swim, so it was causing a fair bit of anxiety and panic amongst people.”

Boats are a common mode of transportation in Bali and the Mentawai Islands, some of surfing’s most trafficked and sought-after travel destinations. So, next time you’re on the surf trip of a lifetime in the Indonesian archipelago, keep that head on a swivel.