DENPASAR ~ One person died and 28 others, including two Americans, have been rescued from rough seas in eastern Indonesia, police said.

A boat sailing from Bali to Komodo island encountered large waves last Wednesday and sank, killing one person, but the other passengers were found safe off an another island several hours later.

“Ten foreign tourists among the 26 passengers on board were found safe,” policeman Butje Hello said.

Meanwhile, two US nationals, Albert and Sonia Ford, aged 63 and 61, were plucked from high seas by an Indonesian warship, also on Wednesday, a day after their boat capsized off Rinca island as they were sailing from Darwin to Singapore.

Before the boat sank, the captain sent an emergency distress signal indicating their position and they were found the next day swimming towards the coastline, he said.

On Friday, police said 17 passengers had been found safe on a boat in East Nusa Tenggara province after being adrift in rough seas for four days.