Search effort extended for missing ferry passengers

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)