26 found dead in S. Kalimantan boat crash<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Rescue workers have found the bodies of 26
\nvictims of Sunday's collision between two boats on the Barito
\nRiver, South Kalimantan, but four others are still missing.<\/p>\n
Antara reported yesterday that 21 survived the collision
\nbetween a motorized boat and a tugboat towing a coal barge.<\/p>\n
The number of casualties was revised from an earlier report
\nthat four died, 21 were missing and 21 others survived the
\naccident in the Kapuas district, about two hours by speedboat
\nfrom the provincial capital Banjarmasin.<\/p>\n
The news agency also said there were an estimated 62
\npassengers aboard the boat that capsized on the river blanketed
\nby thick haze. Visibility was less than five meters Sunday.<\/p>\n
It did not explain the difference in the number of victims,
\nwho were mostly residents of the Dadahup transmigration
\nsettlement in Kapuas. They were on their way to a traditional
\nmarket in Kabuau village, Kuripan district, Barito Kuala regency.<\/p>\n
The authorities have yet to establish the exact number and
\nidentity of all the victims. There was no logbook on the boat
\nbecause it was usually used to transport logs. Its navigator, 40-
\nyear-old Hadran, said the transmigrants persuaded him to
\ntransport them.<\/p>\n
Hadran and the operator of the tugboat have been detained for
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
The accident has been blamed on the haze caused by forest
\nfires in the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
The prolonged dry season has exacerbated the effects of forest
\nfires in the country, leading to a host of other problems
\nincluding health problems, airport closures, transport accidents,
\nfailed crops and starvation.<\/p>\n
An Antara report from Samarinda, East Kalimantan, said
\nyesterday the province's air was again polluted by smog.
\nResidents were told to reduce outdoor activities or wear
\nprotective masks.<\/p>\n
Rain and a change in wind direction had in the past few weeks
\nrelieved the province of the choking haze. About 10,000 residents
\nwere reportedly suffering from respiratory problems as a result
\nof the air pollution which left layers of black dust in air
\nfilter equipment.<\/p>\n
Another Antara report said fires flared again Monday and
\nquickly spread across hectares of forest on Mt. Merbabu in the
\nAmpel and Selo districts, Boyolali, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Workers had three days earlier put out the fires in the same
\nlocation. There was no information on why the fires reemerged.<\/p>\n
On Mt. Ungaran in Semarang regency, also in Central Java,
\nworkers put out fires Monday that had ravaged about 25 hectares
\nof brush forest.<\/p>\n
In West Sumatra, about 400 hectares of cinnamon, passion fruit
\nand tea plantations in Gunung Talang and Lembang Jaya districts,
\nSolok regency, were razed by fires that broke out Saturday.<\/p>\n
Workers were able to contain the fires yesterday that caused
\nan estimated Rp 1 billion (US$303,030) loss, said Solok
\nadministration spokesman Wizarman.<\/p>\n
Latest satellite photographs, obtained yesterday, showed 20
\nfires detected in South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu, Riau, Lampung,
\nWest and Central Kalimantan provinces, according to the
\nEnvironmental Impact Management Agency.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's leading environmental watchdog, Walhi, has
\nestimated that 1.7 million hectares across the country have been
\naffected by the fires.<\/p>\n
Help<\/p>\n
International help continued to pour in yesterday. Antara
\nreported that Japan will send another mission to Indonesia,
\ncomprising 43 experts to help control the forest fires and assist
\nin disaster relief.<\/p>\n
The mission consists of two experts from the Foreign Affairs
\nMinistry, four from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency
\n(JICA), and the rest from the fire department. The team will
\nleave Tokyo today and head to Sumatra to observe hot spots, or
\nfire locations, from the air.<\/p>\n
The Japanese team will deploy two helicopters equipped with
\nspecial cameras. The results of the observation mission will be
\nused to develop an effective fire fighting program.<\/p>\n
Thick haze also forced a number of airports to remain closed
\nyesterday. The International Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan and
\nthe Temindung Airport in Samarinda canceled at least 175 domestic
\nand international flights.<\/p>\n
Tabing Airport in Padang, West Sumatra, was still closed as
\nvisibility was only between 300 and 400 meters. In Jambi, the
\ncapital of the province with the same name in Sumatra, visibility
\nwas only 35 meters yesterday.<\/p>\n
Various other areas in South Sumatra, and West, Central, South
\nand East Kalimantan registered visibility of between 100 and 500
\nmeters.<\/p>\n
Flight activities usually require visibility of at least 3,600
\nmeters.<\/p>\n
The Environmental Impact Management Agency said in its daily
\nreport yesterday the other airports that were closed yesterday
\nwere Supadio in Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Simpang Tiga in
\nPekanbaru, Riau; Sultan M. Badarudin in Palembang, South Sumatra;
\nTjilik Riwut in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan; Padang Kemiling
\nin Bengkulu. Visibility at these airports ranged from 100 meters
\nto 1,700 meters.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Johny Lumintang, the chief of Trikora regional
\nmilitary command in Irian Jaya, said the situation in the hunger-
\nstricken Jayawijaya was critical.<\/p>\n
He said food relief was depleting fast and about 90,000
\nresidents will need extra help from now until April next year
\nwhen they can farm again.<\/p>\n
"These people will continue to need help in the next few
\nmonths because their crops failed in the drought," he was quoted
\nby Antara as saying from Jayapura. He was returning from a visit
\nto Silimo village, Kurima district.<\/p>\n
The situation was further worsened by a clean water shortage,
\nand efforts to airlift relief to the difficult terrain were often
\nhampered by thick haze.<\/p>\n
The official number of drought-related deaths in Irian Jaya's
\nJayawijaya, Puncak Jaya and Merauke regencies since July was 461.
\nThe figure was lower than that calculated by nonofficial sources
\nsuch as non-governmental organizations actively helping
\ndistribute relief to famine-affected areas. (swe)<\/p>",
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