Hope fading for ferry survivors
JAKARTA (JP): Cries and tears erupted as 10 survivors of the missing Cahaya Bahari ferry, packed with refugees fleeing strife- torn Tobelo district in North Maluku, were reunited with relatives in Bitung Port in North Sulawesi on Tuesday morning.
Hopes for additional survivors, however, remain slim as rescue workers had not found any victims or ship's wreckage as of late Tuesday.
North Sulawesi Governor A.J. Sondakh and wife Sintje-Sondakh Mandey greeted the survivors on board the navy battle ship KRI Multatuli. Shortly afterward the Maluku refugees were admitted to Bitung Hospital.
"I have ordered all subdistrict chiefs in villages near the shores to look for the remaining victims of the ferry which sank in the seas of Sangihe Talaud regency," Sondakh was quoted by Antara as saying.
"If any of them are still alive, treat them well. If bodies are found, bury them properly," he said.
Rescue efforts continued on Tuesday with four navy ships, two military airplanes and dozens of commercial and passenger vessels deployed to join the search.
"As of 8 p.m. Central Indonesia Time (WITA) the search of the Sea of Siau did not make any significant progress. We will continue to monitor it," Soleman M. Kakoe, North Sulawesi chief of National Rescue and Search Agency, said.
At the Manado port administration office, dozens of body bags have been prepared.
"This is just in case if we discover the victims," Soleman added.
There have been fears about the safety of the remaining ship's passengers as the seas in the area are swarming with sharks.
Radio contact with the wooden-hulled ship was lost after its captain, M.M. Paparaga, radioed an "SOS" advising that the ship was taking on water during a violent storm at about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday. The ship was believed to be about 42 miles east of Siau island in the Sangihe and Talaud islands regency when it lost radio contact.
There is conflicting data about the total passengers on board as the Cahaya Bahari was licensed to carry only 270 people.
The National Search and Rescue Agency claimed that at least 492 passengers and crew may have been aboard, while Director General of Sea Communication Tjuk Sukardiman said that it had carried 400 people, 270 of whom were listed passengers and 650 sacks of copra.
In Jakarta, Sukardiman admitted that the ferry sank due to "overcrowding, bad weather, and a leak in the ship's engine room."
Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar said later in the day that the refugees had heard that Tobelo district would be raided by their enemies, and ended up forcing the port officials to let them on board. "The three port officials in Tobelo could not stop the ship from sailing because their lives were in danger," he said. (10/edt)