Five killed in two sea accidents

Five killed in two sea accidents

I.D. Nugroho and Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Makassar

Questions have been raised over the safety and sea-worthiness of
maritime transportation in the country following two maritime
accidents yesterday in Tanjung Perak harbor, Surabaya, and the
Gulf of Mandar, South Sulawesi, which has brought the tally of
accidents this month to five.

Harbor police in Surabaya reported that three people were
killed after cargo ship Uni Glory rammed into passenger ship KM
Mandiri Nusantara at 8:30 a.m. local time off the coast of
Gresik.

Tanjung Perak harbor police officer Adj. Comr. Anjilo said the
three victims -- Fitri, 6, her mother Sundari, 50, and Iwan
Gunawan, 30 -- were passengers of the KM Mandiri Nusantara.

Rescue teams had to cut through the wreckage of the ships with
heavy equipment to recover their bodies, which were trapped under
metal debris. Police feared the death toll could increase due to
the severity of damage to the passenger ship.

Anjilo said all victims had been evacuated from the ill-fated
ships and the wounded, some of whom were in serious condition,
were being treated at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya.

The officer said the victims sustained wounds from the impact
of the collision, as well as from wrenched and twisted metal
wreckage caused by the collision.

One of the survivors, Yeyen, 37, had to have her left leg
amputated, while Lia Gunawan, 21, and Kuat, 60, underwent
emergency operations for severe head injuries.

The KM Mandiri Nusantara, which plies the Balikpapan-Surabaya
route, was on its way to Tanjung Perak port, while Uni Glory had
just set sail from Surabaya container terminal when the accident
occurred.

The collision between the two vessels left a 20-meter-long
gash on the starboard side of the passenger ship, while the cargo
ship escaped any major damages. Vehicles and cargo aboard the
passenger ship could be seen through the gash.

Faisal, a passenger from Depok, West Java, recounted the
horror: "All of a sudden, there was this big bang, our ship
shuddered and shook, and the passengers went hysterical."

He said no alarm was heard before the collision happened.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in the Gulf of Mandar,
South Sulawesi, two people drowned when a fishing boat carrying
locals performing a ritual commemorating the Ascension of Prophet
Muhammad capsized after it was hit by strong waves.

Majene Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Haryono said 40 people were
on board the fishing boat Mercedes when the mishap occurred.

"The boat had only moved 10 meters from shore when the wave
came and overturned it," he said.

He said victims Haslina, 25, and Hasria, 12, died instantly,
while Sitti Aliah, 30, Hasria's mother, died of a heart attack
brought on by the news of her daughter's death.

The recent accidents came only a few days after another
maritime accident in which seven people died and 10 others went
missing when a traditional boat sank on Monday in the waters off
Topang island, Bengkalis regency, Riau province.

Earlier this month, passenger ship KM Wimala Dharma capsized
on Sept. 7 in the Lombok Strait, killing six people. Three days
later, another boat overturned in the same waters, leaving three
missing.

Safety regulations are often poorly enforced and boats tend to
be overloaded in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic
nation, where sea travel is a common form of inter-island public
transportation.