Basarnas Says Weather Hindered Evacuation of KMP Mutiara Sentosa II Victims

Surabaya - The head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Mohammad Syafii, stated that weather conditions in the Sumenep waters near the location of the KMP Mutiara Sentosa II fire posed a challenge during the victim evacuation process. “We know that at the time of the incident, the weather conditions in the waters were not favourable. Because of that, the evacuation process took time, but Alhamdulillah, within one day we were able to evacuate all the victims with the help of passing ships,” he said when confirmed at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya on Monday. He noted that the victims who were found could still be evacuated thanks to the assistance of ships in the vicinity of the incident. He said Basarnas also utilised an application to help SAR vessels implement search patterns. “That becomes input or consideration for determining the operational pattern,” he said. Basarnas confirmed that the search operation will continue until there is certainty based on the results of data verification and official reports from all relevant parties. “We hope that hopefully all victims have been found so that the search does not result in finding more victims,” he said. The KMP Mutiara Sentosa II fire incident occurred in the northern waters of Sumenep Regency on Sunday (2/8). The Ro-Ro passenger ship serving the Surabaya–Makassar route was reported to have caught fire around 06.00–07.00 WIB while sailing in the northern waters of Madura.