Navy Cassa plane victims removed from crash site

TIMIKA, Irian Jaya (JP): All nine fatalities of Monday's Cassa U-614 plane crash were removed on Friday from the accident site to the town of Timika, and seven of them were flown by Hercules military transport planes to Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta for their respective funerals.

The Jakarta Post's correspondent reported from Timika that the bodies of Nathaniel Kaywai, speaker of the Irian Jaya legislative council, and adjutant to Irian Jaya governor police Chief brigadier Jeheskia Z. had yet to be flown to Jayapura due to bad weather.

The two corpses are still at Timika airport hangar, and are scheduled to be transported to Sentani airport in Jayapura this (Saturday) morning.

Friday's evacuation operation, commanded by deputy chief of Search and Rescue Brig. Gen. Yusuf Solihin, started at 5:45 a.m. local time.

Two helicopters, with twelve people, including doctors and members of Army elite troops Kopassus, were involved in the final operation.

Before 7 a.m. the bodies of Nathaniel, technicians First. Sgt. Sultan and Ordinary Seaman Gunawan, Trikora Military Command Chief. Maj. Gen. Tonny A. Rompis, Irian Jaya Police chief Insp. Gen. FX. Sumardi, head of Irian Jaya Prosecutors' Office head Bismar Mannu, pilot Maj. Sutopo Waluyo and co-pilot First. Lt. Dedi Haryanto were all removed from the crash site to the village of Silimo.

It took about one hour and 15 minutes flying time from Silimo to Timika, or about two days and two nights walking.

The deceased were kept at the Catholic priests' dormitory in Silimo before being transported to Timika airport.

A team of doctors from the Irian Jayan Police conducted an autopsy on the remains in a hangar before they (the remains) were honored in a military ceremony led by Trikora Military Command Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. K. Ralahalo.

At about 4 p.m. local time a Hercules plane carrying the bodies of Tonny A. Rompis and Bismar Mannu flew to Jakarta, while about one hour later another plane took the bodies of Sumardi, Sultan, Gunawan, Sutopo and Dedi Haryanto to Jakarta Surabaya and Yogyakarta. Sumardi, born in Yogyakarta, will be buried at Yogyakarta's Kusumanegara hero cemetery.

Operational unit chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency First. Adm. (ret) Sukapdjioto said that a cold breeze was blowing during the operation. "We hope that clear skies will continue until the bodies arrive at their destinations," the officer said, adding that the situation was now tense in the area.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, relatives of prosecutor Bismar Mannu said they wanted Mannu to be buried in Makassar.

"We have contacted SAR officials in Jayapura and told them that we want Mannu's body to be flown to Makassar," Petta Bae, elder brother of Mannu told the Post on Friday.

"Mannu had once said that if he died he wanted to rest behind his parents at the village of Aralae, Bone regency," Petta said.

Bone is some 250 kilometers south of Makassar.

A lot of people have been visiting Mannu's residence to express condolence.

Meanwhile Antara reported from Surabaya that hundreds of people, including the relatives of the dead, had been waiting for hours, since 3 p.m., for the corpses of Sutopo Waluyo, Dedy Haryanto, Sultan and Gunawan to arrive at Juanda Airport.

The Hercules plane which carried the bodies arrived in Surabaya Friday night.

Another plane carrying the bodies of Tonny A. Rompis and Bismar Mannu landed at the Halim Perdanakusuma military airbase in Jakarta at 9:17 p.m.

Military chief Adm. Widodo AS and Attorney General Marzuki Darusman led the reception ceremony at the airport here. Deputy Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri officially handed over the corpses to Widodo and Marzuki.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Hanafie Asnan, Minister of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy Surjadi Soedirdja and Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut B. Panjaitan were also at hand.

The remains of Sumardi arrived in Yogyakarta after 9 p.m.

The funerals will be held on Saturday morning.(02/35/edt/23/27/sur)