Survivor and dead body found from ill-fated ship<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A bedraggled survivor and the first dead body
\nfrom KLM Arta Rimba, the ship with more than 325 people aboard
\nwhich sank near the West Kalimantan coast on Sunday, were found
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"They were found by fishermen near the accident site,\" Capt.
\nZainuddin, the section chief in charge of sea traffic and
\ntransport at the port administration's office in Pontianak, told
\nThe Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin speculated the ship's captain and crew \"played
\ntricks on authorities\" because the vessel was not authorized to
\ncarry passengers.<\/p>\n
He said the survivor found in the South China Sea on Thursday
\nwas evacuated to a hospital in Singkawang, about 20 kilometers
\nsouth of the ship's departure point on Saturday and 130
\nkilometers north of the provincial capital Pontianak.<\/p>\n
The man's rescue brought to 20 the number of survivors. At
\nleast 304 are still missing.<\/p>\n
The ship was en route to Riau's Pekanbaru port.<\/p>\n
It was only permitted to carry the captain and seven crew
\nmembers.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin ruled out any foreigners being aboard the ship.<\/p>\n
\"No foreigners would have wanted to board it,\" he said. The
\n148-ton ship, measuring 30 meters long and 10 meters wide, was
\napparently grossly overcrowded.<\/p>\n
Survivors told a local daily they boarded the ship from
\nanother port in Sambas, not the one cited by a Sambas port
\nadministration office. The ship's permit stated it was to set
\nsail last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Villagers<\/p>\n
Aboard were mostly villagers seeking employment in Riau,
\nreports said.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin said the search for survivors was continuing with
\nthe help of the Navy warship KRI Rencong, its Nomad plane and
\nother search and rescue units.<\/p>\n
\"The Navy asked for body bags this morning,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Arta Rimba sank 11 hours after setting sail when the ship's
\ncrew was unable to fix a leak in the hull.<\/p>\n
Capt. Hermanto, 33, one of the survivors, said he issued a
\ndistress call, but the radio apparently malfunctioned. The water
\npump was also broken.<\/p>\n
Hermanto said he instructed passengers to put on the 200 life
\njackets available on the ship, while the rest were forced to
\ngrab onto anything that could float.<\/p>\n
The ship reportedly sank near Tambelan, part of a cluster of
\nislands near the site.<\/p>\n
In 1981, at least 600 people were killed when Tampomas II sank
\noff East Java. In 1996, 338 passengers died when the Gurita ferry
\ncapsized near Sabang, Aceh. (aan)<\/p>",
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