Man survives 2 weeks at sea after boat rammed by ship

An Indonesian man survived on sea for about two weeks clinging to a wooden board after his boat was rammed by a large ship, a rescue official said on Friday.

Muhammad Kartoyo, 18, was sailing with six other fishermen off Bali when their boat was destroyed after being hit by what appeared to be a ferry, said Krisna Maharta, a spokesman for the search and rescue agency in Bali.

Kartoyo was rescued by fishermen on Tuesday in waters off Sulawesi Island while clinging to a wooden board from the boat, Krisna said.

“They drifted for a week clinging to what was left of the boat, but Kartoyo said one by one the other sailors drowned,’’ he said.

“Kartoyo did not remember clearly when the accident happened, but it was believed to be on March 9,’’ he added.

One other fisherman was found dead and the other five were still missing,  he said.