More corpses found after shipwreck<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura<\/p>\n
Five more victims from a shipping accident in Merauke, Papua
\nprovince were found on Thursday, bringing the total number of
\nbodies discovered to 16.<\/p>\n
Head of the operations division at Merauke regental police,
\nComr. Aifkan, said that almost all bodies could not be identified
\nas they had already started to decompose. Some of the bodies had
\nbeen buried directly on an island in Merauke waters, while others
\nhad been claimed by family members and taken to Merauke for
\nburial, he said.<\/p>\n
Aifkan said that fate of over 100 passengers was still unknown
\nbut it was feared that they had died. The Digoel was reported to
\nbe carrying 206 passengers when it sank in Merauke waters on July
\n8. With search operations still underway, Minister of
\nTransportation Hatta Radjasa and several legislators visited
\nMerauke on Thursday and met with some of the victims' families.<\/p>\n
In order to prevent similar tragedies Hatta said that the
\ngovernment would prioritize safety for passengers. The government
\nwould also increase the number of commercial ships, in particular
\nbecause ships had become a major means of transportation in Papua
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Navy on Thursday sent the Teluk
\nSangkurilang warship to Merauke waters to assist in the search
\nfor victims. "There are seven divers on board and they will be
\nthe main players in the search operations," said Lt. Col. Guntur
\nWahyudi, spokesman for the Indonesian Navy's Eastern fleet,
\nquoted by Antara news agency. The ship, which departed on
\nThursday from Surabaya, will arrive in Merauke waters in the next
\nthree days.<\/p>\n
The ill-fated Digoel set sail on Thursday last week from
\nMerauke port. It was on its way to the Tanah Merah area when it
\nsank. Officials have stated that bad weather in the form of gale
\nforce winds and big waves was the cause of the tragedy.<\/p>\n
Only 15 people were known to have survived.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-corpses-found-after-shipwreck-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }