South Sulawesi Governor Reports KM Nurul Salsa Evacuation Progress to Basarnas

Makassar (ANTARA) - South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman reported developments in the search and evacuation of victims of the sunken vessel KM Nurul Salsa to the Head of Basarnas RI, Air Marshal TNI Mohammad Syafii, at the Basarnas RI office in Jakarta on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Andi Sudirman also pushed for strengthened search and rescue efforts by involving all available resources.

“We are reporting on the progress of the search and evacuation of victims of the sunken vessel KM Nurul Salsa. The report is also to continue evacuation efforts with all our strength together with Basarnas, the Navy, the police and the regional government,” said Andi Sudirman in a statement received in Makassar.

In addition, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government proposed increasing the capacity of the Basarnas base in Selayar Islands Regency. The reinforcement would include additional vessels and fast boats, as well as personnel on standby in the island region.

According to him, strengthening Basarnas capacity in island regions is important to improve preparedness for extreme weather conditions that pose risks to fishermen and inter-island ferries.

“This is being done as a preparedness measure for extreme weather conditions affecting fishermen and inter-island ferries that are prone to accidents,” he said, accompanied by the Regent of Selayar Islands, Muh Natsir Ali, and the Regent of Pangkep.

Andi Sudirman hoped the meeting would attract national attention, given the high potential for maritime accidents in island regions, particularly in Selayar Islands Regency, Pangkep and several other island areas in South Sulawesi.

“Hopefully this meeting will draw national attention, considering the number of similar incidents is quite high in this region, particularly the islands, whether Selayar, Pangkep or other areas in South Sulawesi,” he concluded.