JAKARTA, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- All 238 people on board the KMP Mutiara Sentosa II ferry, which caught fire off East Java over the weekend, have now been accounted for, prompting Indonesian authorities to downgrade the dedicated search and rescue (SAR) operation to a routine standby operation.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) chief Mohammad Syafii said the decision was made after the vessel's passenger manifest was reconciled between the harbourmaster's office and the ferry operator, confirming that all those on board had been accounted for, including 233 survivors and five fatalities.
“The standby operation will remain focused on the waters around the incident site, while a complaints post will remain open to receive reports from families if anyone is believed to be unaccounted for,” he said at a press conference in Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday, according to Antara News Agency.
Syafii said survivors had been rescued by several vessels, including Indonesian Navy warship KRI Nala, tugboat Hasnur, KM Meratus Pematang Siantar, KN Permadi, Selaras Mas and KMP Mutiara Ferindo I, while the five bodies were recovered by KM Meratus Pematang Siantar, KRI Nala and KMP Mutiara Ferindo I.
Syafii added that preliminary findings showed all passengers who jumped into the sea had been wearing life jackets after being instructed to do so by the crew during the emergency, while the five fatalities were believed to have resulted from falls from the upper deck as the vessel listed, rather than from burn injuries.
In a separate maritime incident, Indonesian authorities have deployed a helicopter to expand the search for KM Samudra Jaya Kelautan, a cargo vessel carrying four crew members that was reported missing on Monday after failing to arrive in Batam as scheduled a day earlier.
Natuna Search and Rescue (SAR) Office chief Abdul Rahman said the vessel, which was carrying a shipment of fish, departed Air Sena in Tarempa for Batam on Saturday, while a helicopter was deployed to widen the search area alongside maritime assets after no communication was received from the vessel.
He said no trace of the vessel or its crew members had been found, adding that the Natuna SAR Office had coordinated with the Tanjungpinang SAR Office and Malaysia’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Putrajaya, while the search would continue using all available sea and air assets.
-- BERNAMA