Basarnas Ends 15-Day Search for Missing Spaniard in Padar Waters

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s Basarnas on Friday ended a 15-day search for the last missing Spanish national from the KM Putri Sakinah disaster in waters off Padar Island, according to local reports citing the rescue agency.

The search was closed on the 15th day after the vessel sank on 26 December 2025 in the Labuan Bajo area of East Nusa Tenggara, reports from multiple Indonesian outlets said. By the time the operation ended, rescuers had recovered three bodies and were still looking for one remaining Spanish victim, according to those reports.

Local coverage said the search area had been widened across waters around Padar and nearby islands during the operation. The reports also said Basarnas held a closing ceremony and scattered flowers in honour of the missing victim before formally ending the mission.

The vessel was carrying Spanish nationals when it sank, and the incident drew a large-scale response from Basarnas and other rescue teams in the region. Reports cited by local media said the search involved several days of expanded patrols around the waters south of Padar Island and surrounding channels.

Basarnas did not immediately publicly detail the final operational assessment in the reports reviewed, but the agency’s closure of the mission marked the end of the formal rescue effort for the last unaccounted-for victim.

Key details

• Agency: Basarnas
• Incident: KM Putri Sakinah sinking
• Location: Waters off Padar Island, Labuan Bajo
• Search duration: 15 days
• Nationality: Spanish

The accident became one of the most closely followed maritime rescue operations in the Labuan Bajo tourism area this year, with Indonesian outlets reporting that the search was extended several times before it was closed on Friday.

Local reports described the missing victim as the final Spanish national still unaccounted for after the sinking. The closure of the search did not alter the earlier recovery of the other victims, according to the same reports.

Sources

• Tribun Flores
• Republika Visual
• Metro TV News
• CNN Indonesia
• Detikcom