Thirteen rescued two days after Indonesia tourist boat sinking

Eight foreigners and five Indonesians were rescued today, two days after their tourist boat sank in a storm as it travelled between islands in the nation's east, a search official said.

"They were all found together, some in a lifeboat and some floating with their life jackets on around 60 miles (100 kilometres) off Sape," on the east of Sumbawa island, said rescue official Budiawan, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Budiawan, head of the search and rescue agency on Lombok island which lies to the west of Sumbawa, said they were now in the town of Sape but could not immediately give details of their nationalities.

A total of 18 foreigners and five Indonesians have now been rescued following the weekend sinking, while two foreigners remain missing.

The boat went down on Saturday after being caught in bad weather as it travelled from Lombok to Komodo island, famed as the home of the Komodo dragon, the world's biggest lizard which is a huge draw for tourists.

Ten people were rescued yesterday, including tourists from New Zealand, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and France.