Overloaded: 26 boat passengers evacuated near Pulau Panggang

Officers from the North Jakarta and Seribu Islands Fire and Rescue Service (Gulkarmat) evacuated 26 passengers and three crew members from the motor vessel KM Sumber Makmur, which was reportedly overloaded, in the waters off Pulau Panggang, North Seribu Islands District, on Saturday. Head of Operations for the North Jakarta and Seribu Islands Gulkarmat, Gatot Sulaeman, stated that the rescue team managed to evacuate those on board after the vessel encountered difficulties owing to severe weather. The service received a report of the incident at 06.50 Western Indonesia Time from one of the passengers and immediately dispatched six personnel aboard the rescue craft KM Satria Biru at 06.55 Western Indonesia Time. The KM Sumber Makmur had departed from Rawasaban Pier in Tangerang, bound for the North Seribu Islands, with 26 passengers and three crew members, including the captain. During the crossing, the vessel got into trouble as weather conditions deteriorated and its excessive load made continuing the voyage too risky for passenger safety. All passengers were successfully evacuated onto the KM Satria Biru in good health, while the KM Sumber Makmur was towed to Pulau Panggang for further processing. By around 07.30 Western Indonesia Time, all passengers and the KM Sumber Makmur had arrived at Pulau Panggang safely. Gatot emphasised that safety is paramount and urged against forcing a sailing when a vessel is already beyond its capacity. The captain of the KM Sumber Makmur, Sadam, expressed appreciation for the swift response of the Gulkarmat officers, crediting their rapid action for the safe evacuation of everyone aboard.