Relatives receive victims' remains<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Relatives of those killed in the Garuda
\nIndonesia plane crash in Sibolangit, North Sumatra, finally
\nswallowed the bitter reality yesterday as they identified and
\nreceived the remains of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
Some of them needed extra courage, mainly because they could
\nonly identify their loved ones from their clothes, accessories or
\nspecial marks on their bodies as some of the remains were body
\nparts.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, a forensic expert team at Adam Malik
\nHospital, in Medan, had completed a postmortem of 211 out of 234
\npeople who died in one of the country's worst plane crashes.<\/p>\n
A total of 171 bodies have been handed over to their
\nrespective families.<\/p>\n
Antara reported from Medan that 63 of the remains were yet to
\nbe claimed of which 40 had been identified.<\/p>\n
The Airbus A-300-B4 with 222 passengers and 12 crew on board
\ncrashed and exploded into pieces shortly before landing in
\nPolonia airport in Medan.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said in Medan
\nthat identification would continue.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that all of the remaining bodies will be identified
\nsoon,\" he said in a TV interview.<\/p>\n
Fifty-four bodies arrived here yesterday evening and were
\nhanded over to their respective relatives in an emotion-packed
\nceremony at Soekarno-Hatta airport.<\/p>\n
Among the bodies were those of pilot Rachmo Wiyogo, co-pilot
\nSoetomo, other crew members and private TV station SCTV reporter
\nFerdinandus Sius and cameraman Yance Iskandar.<\/p>\n
Heavy rain forced the Garuda flight carrying the remains from
\nMedan to be delayed four times, leaving 2,000 people waiting in
\nJakarta for more than five hours.<\/p>\n
The plane finally arrived here at 7:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival here, wailing relatives rushed to the coffins as
\nthey entered the Garuda hangar 2, the venue of the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The mourners repeatedly called the names of their beloved
\nones, only to hear no answer.<\/p>\n
\"Who will I play with now, daddy?\" Alvin Fardian, 12, the
\noldest son of pilot Rachmo, wept as he kissed the coffin of his
\nfather.<\/p>\n
His seven-year-old brother, Aldri Rehardian, joined the
\nreception.<\/p>\n
The body of the 42-year-old pilot will be buried today at
\nTanah Kusir cemetery.<\/p>\n
\"We decided that if the body arrived home after 9 p.m., we
\nwould bury it the next day,\" said an uncle at the family's
\nresidence in Bintaro, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Gusti Nurdin, a friend of deceased passenger, Nurbaidah
\nDahlan, said she had some foreboding inclinations before boarding
\nthe flight Friday.<\/p>\n
\"She told me she was reluctant to go to Medan because she was
\ntired of traveling,\" Gusti said.<\/p>\n
Nurbaidah was the dean of the Open University's School of
\nSocial and Political Sciences.<\/p>\n
She flew to Medan to present certificates to teachers who were
\ngraduating from elementary and junior high school upgrading
\ncourses.<\/p>\n
President Director of Garuda Soepandi, who presided over the
\nceremony, consoled the mourners and promised to conduct a
\nthorough investigation into the accident.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, an investigation commission team had yet to
\nfind the flight data and voice recorder, popularly called the
\nblack box.<\/p>\n
Employees of SCTV held a small ceremony to receive the body of
\nFerdinandus and Yance.<\/p>\n
Ferdinandus' remains will be flown to Kupang, East Nusa
\nTenggara, this morning where he will then be laid to rest.<\/p>\n
Yance's body will be taken to his hometown of Sukabumi, West
\nJava.<\/p>\n
The two were assigned to report on the haze in Riau. But since
\nthe airport in Pekanbaru was closed, they decided to fly to Medan
\nand then travel overland to Riau.<\/p>\n
Minister Haryanto is this morning scheduled to lead the mass
\nburial for the unidentified victims in Medan.<\/p>\n
The burial will take place on the same grounds where 62 people
\nwho died in a 1979 Garuda Fokker-28 plane crash are buried. The
\n1,600 square meter area is located near Polonia airport.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, on the suggestion of Haryanto and North
\nSumatra officials, agreed Saturday to hold a mass burial for the
\nvictims.<\/p>\n
In Medan, the rescue team was surprised to find two
\n\"mysterious bodies\" among the crash victims yesterday.<\/p>\n
A rescue worker who requested anonymity told Antara that the
\nbodies were possibly local residents who were working in a nearby
\nfield when the plane crashed.<\/p>\n
There was no confirmation available from forensic experts at
\nthe Adam Malik hospital.<\/p>\n
Disappointment was lodged to the forensic team, however, as
\nthey ruled out the postmortem of Ester Monica Simanjuntak and
\ninstead declared the body was that of another woman, Wir Kumari.<\/p>\n
Doctors said they reviewed the postmortem report following the
\nsecond autopsy to verify the identification of the body.<\/p>\n
One of the doctors, Amri Amir, told The Jakarta Post that the
\nsecond examination was conducted after Wir's family claimed the
\nbody belonged to the 37-year-old woman.<\/p>\n
\"We found more accurate proof that the body was Wir's
\nfollowing the second examination,\" Amri said.<\/p>\n
\"The hospital is too small for doctors to conduct postmortem
\nexaminations. This is why some of them have not carried out their
\njobs properly,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The body which was declared to be Wir's had been taken home by
\nher brother Sarwan Kumar, amid protests from Ester's family.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, Garuda was yet to announce the full details
\nof people killed in the plane crash, including their full names,
\naddress and where they had purchased their tickets.<\/p>\n
A Garuda official at Polonia airport said he could not reveal
\nthe data, although pressure mounted on them following confusion
\nabout the exact identity of the victims.<\/p>\n
Operational Director of Jasa Raharja insurance company Suheimi
\nPulungan said the company had not received the details yet, only
\na list of passengers from Garuda.<\/p>\n
Detailed data of victims is required by the company to
\ndisburse compensation to relatives of the victims.<\/p>\n
The next of kin of each passenger and crew member who died in
\nthe crash will receive Rp 40 million (US$13,560) in compensation.<\/p>\n
\"We guarantee the claim will run smoothly if we obtain
\ndetailed data,\" the company's president director Tabrani Toha
\nsaid in Jakarta. (10\/21\/jun\/amd)<\/p>\n
Indorayon -- Page 12<\/p>\n
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