More corpses found after shipwreck

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Five more victims from a shipping accident in Merauke, Papua province were found on Thursday, bringing the total number of bodies discovered to 16.

Head of the operations division at Merauke regental police, Comr. Aifkan, said that almost all bodies could not be identified as they had already started to decompose. Some of the bodies had been buried directly on an island in Merauke waters, while others had been claimed by family members and taken to Merauke for burial, he said.

Aifkan said that fate of over 100 passengers was still unknown but it was feared that they had died. The Digoel was reported to be carrying 206 passengers when it sank in Merauke waters on July 8. With search operations still underway, Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa and several legislators visited Merauke on Thursday and met with some of the victims' families.

In order to prevent similar tragedies Hatta said that the government would prioritize safety for passengers. The government would also increase the number of commercial ships, in particular because ships had become a major means of transportation in Papua province.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Navy on Thursday sent the Teluk Sangkurilang warship to Merauke waters to assist in the search for victims. "There are seven divers on board and they will be the main players in the search operations," said Lt. Col. Guntur Wahyudi, spokesman for the Indonesian Navy's Eastern fleet, quoted by Antara news agency. The ship, which departed on Thursday from Surabaya, will arrive in Merauke waters in the next three days.

The ill-fated Digoel set sail on Thursday last week from Merauke port. It was on its way to the Tanah Merah area when it sank. Officials have stated that bad weather in the form of gale force winds and big waves was the cause of the tragedy.

Only 15 people were known to have survived.