Five die in boat accident in Ambon

Five die in boat accident in Ambon

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

At least five people died and one person was missing when a boat
capsized in the waters off Kayeli Bay in Buru regency, Ambon, on
Tuesday.

At the time of the accident, which took place near Batu Jungku
village in Batabual district, the Dewi Yul interisland boat was
reportedly carrying about 30 passengers.

The dead were identified as Narbiah Umanielo, 38, Wa Mihi
Buton, 46, Wa Ramu, 40, Siani Buton, 2, and Harsono, 1.

Buru Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Nadi Widodo confirmed
the accident. However, the police have not confirmed the number
of passengers on board the boat at the time of the accident.

"The bodies of the dead were returned to their families on
Wednesday and we still searching for missing victims," he told
The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The secretary of the United Development Party (PPP) in Buru
regency, Muhamad Assagaf, who was in Batu Jungku village when the
accident took place, said four of the boat's engines were damaged
when it left to Wamsisi village in Waisama district.

"Maybe because the engines were damaged the boat sank after
being repeatedly hit by waves in bad weather," Muhamad
speculated.

Meanwhile, a Chinese-flagged shipping vessel, the MV Fu Yuan
Yu F-66, that is the subject of a legal case at the Ambon
District Court, is in danger of sinking in the waters off Teluk
Dalam in Ambon.

The ship was damaged in an unexplained explosion on Aug. 15 in
the Navy's main harbor in Ambon. The ship, which was carrying
1,662 tonnes of fish, was moved to its current location after the
explosion.

The Chinese vessel was impounded and its 31 crew members, all
Chinese citizens, detained for allegedly engaging in illegal
fishing in the Arafura Sea.

An assistant in the special crimes unit at the Maluku
Prosecutor's Office, Zainul Arifin Wijaya, said the illegal
fishing case was being heard by the court, and that the police
were investigating the explosion that damaged the vessel.

"The ship, after being impounded by the Navy, is being
processed by the court, while the explosion has already been
reported to the Maluku Police," Zainul said on Wednesday.

However, an officer at the Maluku Police, Sr. Comr. Bambang
Hermanu, said the vessel was under the authority of the
prosecutor's office and the Navy and the police could do little
to investigate the explosion.

"We will still try and investigate the source of the
explosion. We have checked (the ship's) condition, maybe there is
something we can do to help. The ship is under the authority of
the prosecutor's office and the Navy so we can only assist in
this case," Bambang said.