Search effort extended for missing ferry passengers

JAKARTA (JP): Despite apparent hopelessness, the National Search and Rescue Agency decided on Thursday to extend for another week the search for the missing Cahaya Bahari ferry and its hundreds of passengers fleeing strife-torn Tobelo district in North Maluku.

"We decided to prolong the search on humanitarian grounds and the fact that only 11 victims out of hundreds of passengers have been found so far," head of the Manado Port administration office Udiyanto told The Jakarta Post by phone.

The decision was taken in a meeting to evaluate the two-week search for the overloaded vessel which sank in the waters off Siau island of Sangihe Talaud regency in North Sulawesi on June 29.

Director General of Sea Transportation Tjuk Sukardiman and head of the National Search and Rescue Agency Setyo Rahardjo attended the meeting held at the North Sulawesi office of the Ministry of Communications.

"If nothing comes up, we will terminate the effort on July 20," Udiyanto said.

He said the meeting put the total number of the passengers at 561, following thorough cross-checks and reports from people who claimed to have lost family members in the accident, believed to be the worst in the country's history.

Earlier reports said 492 passengers were on board when the ship sank.

The search would be scaled down in the final week, involving only patrol and operational ships such as the KRI Multatuli and KRI Sisingamangaraja warships which were currently concentrating on a sea blocking operation to prevent armed rioters from entering the riot-torn Malukus, Udiyanto said.

Previously, the operation involved 27 ships and seven aircraft, the biggest rescue effort in the country, according to Udiyanto.

He said the rescue workers had searched up to the Solomon Islands but no sign of ship wreckage or victims were found.

"Theoretically, it is impossible for the victims to survive for such a long time," he said.

Of the 11 passengers found, nine are being treated at Bitung Hospital for severe sunburn, one has been picked up by relatives while the other, who remains unidentified, died shortly after the rescue. (edt)