21 die in Talaud ferry accident
21 die in Talaud ferry accident
Jonker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado, North Sulawesi
Residents of the Talaud islands held a memorial ceremony on
Friday for those who died in the ferry accident in the waters off
Kabaruan island. The island is among the Talaud islands and lies
some 300 kilometers north of Manado, the capital of North
Sulawesi province.
The wooden inter-island ferry, packed with some 180 wedding
guests, sank on Thursday night.
"They were on their way to a wedding. They were wearing their
best clothes," said Sukardi, search and rescue chief of the
Manado police, as quoted by AFP.
At least 21 people were reported dead, seven missing and nine
others severely injured in the accident. The remaining passengers
were rescued by fishermen working in the area.
Chief of the Talaud Police Comr. F. Timbar said on Friday that
the 15-meter-long, four-meter-wide ferry had traveled from
Meronge subdistrict, Lirung island, to Talaud regency.
On board the ferry -- called the Beringin Jaya ferry -- was a
group from Meronge subdistrict, who were on their way to the
wedding of Kelvin Manopode and Mariati Taroreh, in Damau
subdistrict on the neighboring island of Kabaruan, which is also
located in Talaud regency.
It takes a few hours to travel by sea from Lirung island to
Kabaruan island, which are both among the Talaud islands.
On the way to Kabaruan island, the weather took a turn for the
worse. A strong wind and big waves caused the ferry to rock
wildly, causing the passengers to panic. Water then started to
swamp the ferry.
The ferry, which has a maximum capacity of 75 passengers,
started to sink some 20 kilometers off Kabaruan island, which was
at that time within sight.
Women and children struggled to stay afloat as many were
unable to swim. Others were able to survive until help reached
them.
Admiral Gunadi, the chief of the Navy in Manado, said that he
received a report on the incident on Thursday night at 8.30 p.m.
"We immediately sent a Supanto frigate to the location," he said
on Friday.
Romeo Mirino, an officer of the Sangihe naval base, said that
survivors were taken to Kabaruan island for medical treatment.
"The cause of the accident was rough seas and the excessive
number of passengers," Mirino said, as quoted by AFP.
Ferry accidents have often occurred in Indonesia, which is the
world's largest archipelago.
The accidents are mostly due to overcrowding and bad weather.
The government has been blamed for the high number of ferry
accidents as it has not imposed, nor implemented, strict safety
regulations for sea transportation.