Final ferry death toll is 338

Final ferry death toll is 338

JAKARTA (JP): The final death toll of last month's Gurita
ferry tragedy reached 338, including seven foreigners, Minister
of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said yesterday.

"The figure is final," Haryanto announced after briefing
President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace about the investigation into
the sinking of the ferry off Aceh on Jan. 19.

The ministry arrived at the figure after checking and
double checking all possible data, he said.

Previously, there was confusion about the number of people on
board the ferry when it sank. Only 94 people were physically
accounted for -- 39 survivors and 55 bodies fished from the sea.

Some of the missing are believed to be in the ship at the
bottom of the sea, and others may have been eaten by sharks. All
the missing have been officially proclaimed dead.

Five foreigners survived -- two Britons, a German, an American
and a Taiwan citizen. Of the seven who did not make it, one was
an Irish woman and another was a German woman. The nationalities
of the other five were still not available yesterday.

The Aceh Police lost six officers in the tragedy, including
the chief of its Sabang precinct.

Haryanto refrained from admitting that the ferry was grossly
overloaded, saying that the matter, including the possibility of
a crime having been committed, would be handled by the maritime
court.

Nor would he confirm an earlier independent police report that
the ferry was leaking when it set sail, or that the captain had
refused to sail but gave in after he was threatened with
dismissal by his superiors.

On Wednesday, police announced that six people were directly
at fault for the tragedy: two port officials and four officials
of PT ASDP, the state-owned ferry service company.

"Let's wait for the court hearing. The maritime court has the
authority to analyze the situation from all aspects: technical,
procedural, etcetera," the minister said.

A few days after the sinking, the minister told the House of
Representatives that the ferry was only carrying the 210 people
listed in its manifest. He insisted that if the ferry was indeed
carrying more passengers, the number could not have been more
than two dozen. He misjudged by at least 143 people.

When confronted yesterday, he said he had based his first
statement on reports he received from Aceh.

The Gurita sank while sailing from Malahayati/Krueng Raya near
Banda Aceh to Sabang, the main town on Weh Island just opposite
Aceh.

Two reasons

Aceh Governor Syamsuddin Mahmud said there were two reasons so
many people were on the ship on Jan. 19.

First, the Gurita, which sailed its route once a day, was
being repaired on Jan. 18 and was therefore out of operation. The
governor did not disclose what repairs had been needed. This
meant those who had planned to travel on Jan. 18, had to wait
until Jan. 19.

The second reason was that many Weh islanders were returning
home for a big feast of meat, a tradition on the island before
the start of Ramadhan.

In addition to the 377 people, the ferry was also carrying 11
cars, 19 motorcycles, 10 tons of cement, and 64 tons of other
cargo.

Haryanto said the investigation found that Gurita sailed into
stormy weather, with waves reaching as high as two meters.

"The ship was hit by large waves on its starboard side three
times. On the third strike, the ship lost its equilibrium and
capsized," he explained.

The ship was a 1970 model, had been retrofitted with a new
engine, and was therefore seaworthy, he said.

The minister dismissed the likelihood of salvaging the ship,
as the President suggested, saying it would be too costly.

Meanwhile, PT Jasa Raharja, the state life insurance company,
said it will pay a total of Rp 2.3 billion ($1 million) in claims
for the dead passengers and lost vehicles.

Jasa Raharja President Ida Bagus Putu Sarga, who was also
present at yesterday's briefing, said the company will pay a Rp 6
million settlement for each passenger killed.

"We hope to pay them on Feb. 19. The checks for the foreign
victims will be given to their respective embassies," he said.

Haryanto said President Soeharto also ordered the Aceh
administration to take care of the children orphaned in the
Gurita sinking.

The President offered financial assistance from his Dharmais
Foundation, and also scholarships through the Supersemar
Foundation, Haryanto said.

Both charity foundations are run by Soeharto in a personal
capacity. (emb)