Rescuers have found 11 European tourists and a local crew member alive after a speedboat went missing before sinking in Indonesia.

But the 29-year-old captain of the vessel, which got caught up in rough weather, is still missing after it vanished in Tomini Bay off Sulawesi island on Friday morning.

Passengers said the weather caused the boat to break apart, forcing them to save themselves by reaching a life raft, while the captain was separated from the group in thick fog.

Officials said the vessel was bound for Marisa Port but failed to arrive as scheduled.

The search was launched after a local tour guide reported the boat missing at 3.40pm on Friday.

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Heriyanto, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said: "Concerns arose when their speedboat had not arrived by afternoon.

"We immediately launched a search mission overnight but until now have not found any signs of the vessel or people on board."

On board was a Czech man, a Belgian man, five Dutch nationals, three Germans, a French women and two Indonesian crew members, authorities said.

The rescued passengers have been safely evacuated and are staying at a resort in Tojo Unauna.

On the missing captain, Heriyanto said: "We will continue the search and rescue operation for up to seven days to find him."

He added: "The captain was believed to have remained aboard as the vessel split into two sections and sank."

The embassies representing the missing tourists did not immediately comment.

Heriyanto said dozens of search and rescue teams were deployed, covering around 300 square nautical miles of waters around Tomini Bay, which is a renowned marine tourism destination.

Indonesia's meteorological agency had forecast generally clear skies in the area.

But rescuers on Saturday faced challenging sea conditions, including strong winds and waves reaching up to 8ft high.

Boats are a common form of transportation in Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands.

On 15 July a passenger boat carrying 76 people sank off Selayar Island, killing four and leaving 14 missing.

(c) Sky News 2026: European tourists found alive after speedboat sinks in Indonesia