Basarnas Makassar Searches for 24 Missing Passengers in Selayar Waters
Makassar (ANTARA) - The Class A Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) Makassar has launched a SAR operation in response to the sinking of the passenger vessel KM Nurul Salsa in Selayar waters, west of Polassi Island, Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi.
“Initial data we received put the number of passengers at 50. However, after re-verification with the relevant parties, the total number of people on board reached 70. The joint SAR team is currently still searching for 24 people who have yet to be found,” said Head of Basarnas Makassar Muhammad Arif Anwar in Makassar on Thursday.
Information obtained indicated that KM Nurul Salsa departed from Jampea Island for Benteng Selayar Port on Wednesday (15 July) at around 05.00 Central Indonesia Time, carrying passengers.
During the voyage, the vessel suffered engine trouble midway at a position in the waters west of Polassi Island, roughly 43 nautical miles (NM) from Benteng Selayar Port.
Arif said that upon receiving the report of the incident, his office immediately deployed SAR personnel to carry out search and rescue efforts for the vessel’s passengers.
“As soon as we received information about KM Nurul Salsa suffering engine failure in Selayar waters, we mobilised SAR elements to conduct search and evacuation of all passengers and crew,” he said.
In the operation, with the assistance of KM Harapan Kita, which sailed from Jampea Island, a number of passengers of KM Nurul Salsa were found and evacuated on Thursday (16 July) at around 04.00 Central Indonesia Time.
A total of 41 people, including crew members, were evacuated by KM Harapan Kita from a location approximately 18 NM from the point of the incident. Meanwhile, six others were rescued by a fishing vessel near the scene and evacuated to Polassi Island.
Arif affirmed that all joint SAR elements would continue maximum search efforts in accordance with SAR operational procedures. He requested prayers so that the SAR team could locate the victims as soon as possible.
“The victim data is still not valid, because the joint SAR team is still awaiting information from families, and hopefully there will be no further reports of family members being aboard KM Nurul Salsa,” he concluded.
The SAR operation for the KM Nurul Salsa accident is ongoing, with the search focused on the area around the incident and zones determined based on Search and Rescue Planning (Sarmap) calculations.
The search operation involves a number of joint SAR elements, including the Selayar SAR Post Rescue Team, the Basarnas Makassar Rescue Team, the Indonesian Navy, the crew of KRI Marlin 877, the crew of KM Harapan Kita, the Selayar Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Harbour Master, SROP Selayar, the Marine Police, and fishing vessels assisting with the evacuation process.