Six killed as ferry sinks in Lombok Strait
The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Denpasar
At least six persons, including a little girl, were killed and over 60 others are still missing after the ferry they boarded capsized in Lombok Strait in West Nusa Tenggara early on Sunday, police and officials say.
Padangbai Port officer Made Sudhiarta said over 200 people were on board the ferry, KLM Wimala Dharma, that left the port in Bali at around 1 a.m. for Lembar Port in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
As of 10 p.m. on Sunday, search and rescue attempts had rescued at least 135 passengers and recovered six dead bodies, including a girl aged around two and a half years.
Five of the victims were identified as Herlina Effendi, 35, Aeniah, 29, Lalu Suparman, 43, Jamaludin, 25, and Adelia Puput Lestari, two and a half years old. Authorities were yet to identify another.
Authorities have also identified nine missing passengers -- Slamet Heryono, Memet, Achmad Sanusi, Ari, Suparman, Juna, Jeffry, Zainudin and Suparman.
Problems began at 1:55 a.m., when a very strong wave struck the vessel's left side, splitting it and causing water to gush in.
The ship's captain Ahmad Suhaedi -- realizing that water had started to enter the vessel's interior -- ordered his crew to distribute life jackets to passengers and attempted to direct the vessel to a nearby island, Gili Tapekong. Unfortunately, another powerful wave hit the vessel and overturned it.
The ferry sank at 4.5 nautical miles off the Balinese port at around 3:30 a.m. local time.
Another ferry, KMP Nusa Sejahtera, came to the aid of the ferry around 45 minutes after the vessel sank, and managed to save 94 passengers and retrieve two bodies. Three other ferries and a boat, Nusa Bhakti, Marina Segunda, Rodhita and Kalianda, later joined the rescue attempt.
A search and rescue team (SAR), which just wrapped up a five- day training in Lombok, were immediately deployed to search for the missing passengers. The Denpasar-based Sanglah General Hospital sent a 30-strong team and three ambulances to Padangbai Port.
Rescue efforts managed to save 135 people, including passengers, truck drivers and ship crew members.
At the time of the accident, KMP Wimala Dharma was also carrying 14 trucks, two cars, one bus, 14 motorbikes and 49 tons of baggage.
By 5 p.m. on Sunday, rescue teams and 15 ships were still searching for missing victims from the vessel.
Later in the evening, Director-general for Sea Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation Tjuk Sukardiman -- who arrived at Padangbai Port to start a probe into the tragedy -- told reporters that the KMP Wimala Dharma was seaworthy prior to the ill-fated journey.
Padangbai Port officer Made Sudhiarta said that the accident was caused by natural forces.
The names of missing passengers were still being posted at the harbor's office, while SAR teams and police said they would continue their mission.
Separately, an officer at the Bali Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said at this time of the year the waves in the island's southern waters could reach a height and intensity which might pose a danger to sea vessels.
"Waves can reach up to two-and-a-half-meters high," Sudiartha said.