A mother and son were rescued from a remote island days after their passenger boat sank when its engine failed at sea.

The KM Nurul Salsa was carrying more than 70 people when it sank off Indonesia on Wednesday (15 July).

More than 50 survivors have been found since the sinking, with rescue efforts underway to find the 18 people still missing. One passenger is known to have drowned.

On Sunday (19 July), a 46-year-old woman and her 24-year-old son were discovered on the tiny uninhabited island of Balaloho by fishermen.

They said that they had initially clung to a raft with four other people, who ultimately did not make it to Balaloho. “Some of them became weak and could no longer hold on to the raft, and eventually drifted away,” search and rescue chief Anwar confirmed.