Hopes dim as death toll rises

Hopes dim as death toll rises

JAKARTA (JP): Hopes of finding more survivors from this
weekend's ship accident off Aceh are fading as only one person
was found alive yesterday, a search and rescue official in Aceh
said.

Col. Umri of the Navy said yesterday evening that the massive
search and rescue operation had only turned up two more dead
bodies and one survivor yesterday.

As of yesterday evening, 54 people had been found dead, 47
alive and more than 100 of the estimated 210 people on board of
the ill-fated KPM Gurita were still missing in the rough seas.

The 31-meter-long, eight-meter-wide KPM Gurita, in operation
since 1987, sank about 4 miles off Sabang Island's Balohan port
on Friday night. According to the manifest, it was carrying 210
passengers, 16 crew members, 80 tons of cement, 14 tons of
foodstuffs and 30 vehicles.

Lukman M. Nur, a search and rescue official from the Sabang
municipality office, said there are different accounts regarding
the number of people on board as well as those already found,
dead or alive.

Figures at his command post showed yesterday that the number
of fatalities was 51 and that 40 had survived. "We have different
data coming in," he told the Post.

Umri said search and rescue workers found the bodies of a
German and an Irish woman he respectively identified as Manuela
Schmidt and Margaret (no last name known).

"Five of the 11 foreigners registered in the manifest have
been found alive," Umri told the Post by telephone from Sabang
yesterday.

The ferry was on its way from Malahayati, Aceh, to the port of
Balohan on Sabang Island.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, though
government officials speculate that turbulent weather was to
blame. Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, who
visited the scene of the accident yesterday, denied reports that
the ferry was overloaded.

Umri said the government has mobilized two helicopters, a Puma
light plane, three warships and 17 boats for the search
operation. Dozens of fishermen are also involved, he added.

"High waves have prevented smaller ships and boats from taking
part in the operation," he said. "That's why we're using
warships."

Almost all of the survivors accommodated at the Sabang
hospital have returned home, he said.

Lukman identified the foreign survivors as Steven Nicholson
(British), Caroline Steven (British), Pieter Breman (German),
Margareth (American) and Wang Sung (Taiwan).

Meanwhile, minister Haryanto was quoted by Antara as saying
that the government will soon replace the 16-year-old sunken
ferry with a KPM Cucut, which has a capacity of at least 400
passengers.

He insisted that the Japanese-made KPM Gurita was not
overloaded when it sank in the 300-meter-deep sea shortly before
it was scheduled to anchor.

"Under certain conditions, a ferry is allowed to carry up to
20 percent more of its stated capacity. During Idul Fitri
holidays, they are allowed to carry 50 percent more than their
stated capacity," he said. (pan)