Six killed as ferry sinks in Lombok Strait
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.