Plane crash victim found alive, after declare dead<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In a miraculous story of survival, a passenger of a plane that
\ncrashed in the remote jungle of East Kalimantan last week was
\nfound alive after rescue workers declared him and another nine
\npeople aboard dead.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, Bangau Samuel, the lone survivor in the crash,
\nhad suffered only minor injuries to his face and hands, when he
\nwas found by a local farmer at around 2 p.m. local time on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Search and rescue workers announced that all 10 people aboard
\nhad died, after locating the Britten Norman plane belonging to PT
\nBorneo Air Transport (BAT) last Wednesday. The aircraft crashed
\natop a 1,620 meter-high mountain, some eight kilometers from its
\nintended destination of Yuvai Semaring airport in Long Bawan,
\nnear the border with Malaysia.<\/p>\n
PT BAT President Fhilipus Gaing confirmed on Tuesday that 20-
\nyear-old Bangau was undergoing treatment at a health center in
\nKrayan district.<\/p>\n
\"District head Sarfianus told me via satellite phone that
\nlocal people had discovered Bangau alive,\" Fhilipus told Antara
\nin the provincial capital of Samarinda.<\/p>\n
\"But he is still in such a state of shock that he cannot talk
\nabout the accident.\"<\/p>\n
Fhilipus said Bangau was only wearing a black T-shirt and
\nunderwear when the farmer spotted him near a rice field in Pa
\nPadi village, about five kilometers from the crash site. He was
\nemaciated and had difficulty keeping upright when he met the
\nfarmer named Joki.<\/p>\n
\"He asked Joki for food because he had not eaten for days.
\nThey walked along Krayan river before reaching the village. The
\nlocal authorities then took him to the health center and
\nimmediately contacted his family,\" Fhilipus said.<\/p>\n
Later on Monday, the residents of Pa Padi village took Bangau
\nto the house of Krayan district chief, who then sent the survivor
\nto a nearby health center.<\/p>\n
Fhilipus said Bangau's mother Rosmiari had visited him and
\nconfirmed he was among the passengers of the ill-fated plane.<\/p>\n
His father Yuni Samuel was among the passengers killed in the
\ncrash.<\/p>\n
Other casualties were pilot Lt. Col. (ret) Suyamto, mechanic
\nattendant Apriansyah, and passengers Johannes, Mariam, Berli,
\nFrans, Fhilipus and Andreas. All of them were Krayan residents.<\/p>\n
Fhilipus said the rescue party that had reached the crash site
\nmay have believed all 10 people had died because some of the
\nbodies were dismembered.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps, when the team and local people arrived at the site,
\nBangau had already left, so it was not possible to identify him
\nduring evacuation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some Krayan residents quoted Bangau as saying he heard the
\nrescue team arrive at the crash site but he was too weak to
\nshout. It remains unclear whether he was inside or outside the
\nplane when the rescue workers came.<\/p>\n
A number of Long Bawan residents also said the rescue team had
\nnever evacuated the victims. They said the operation had been
\ncarried out by some 300 local people.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Abdul Haris, the head of Juwata Airport in Tarakan
\nsaid he was still waiting for the official report from the head
\nof Long Bawan Airport about Bangau's fate before he could fly him
\nback to his hometown.<\/p>\n
\"The victim will be flown to Tarakan to confirm the report,\"
\nHaris said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/plane-crash-victim-found-alive-after-declare-dead-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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