Navy Cassa plane victims removed from crash site

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)