MP urges faster rescue response for Sumenep ship fire victims

Surabaya (ANTARA) - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Bambang Haryo Soekartono (BHS) has stated that the response time for rescuing victims of a ship fire in the waters north of Sumenep, East Java, must be faster to ensure they receive help before it is too late. “The concern is that the rescue response time must be much quicker. We cannot let victims who have already managed to save themselves at sea end up receiving aid too late,” he said in Surabaya on Monday. This statement follows the fire on the KMP Mutiara Sentosa II, which was serving the Surabaya-Makassar route, on Sunday (2/8) around 06.00–07.00 WIB in the waters north of Sumenep. Bambang Haryo appreciated the actions of the ship’s crew, who he considered to have followed safety procedures by distributing life jackets to passengers and preparing life rafts as an emergency evacuation measure. According to him, these efforts must be matched by a rapid response from the rescue team. He noted that delays in assistance could increase the risk for victims on life rafts, who face threats of drifting, exhaustion, dehydration, and even loss of life. Therefore, Bambang called for a thorough evaluation of the maritime accident emergency response system so that coordination and rescue speed can be continuously improved to minimise casualties in any shipping incident.