South Sulawesi Governor Reports KM Nurul Salsa Evacuation Progress to Basarnas

South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman reported on the progress of the search and evacuation of victims from the sunken vessel KM Nurul Salsa to the Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, at the Basarnas headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday. During the meeting, Andi Sudirman also pushed for strengthened search and rescue efforts by involving all available forces. “We reported the progress of the search and evacuation of victims from the sunken KM Nurul Salsa. The report is also to continue the evacuation efforts with all the strength of Basarnas, the Indonesian Navy, the National Police, and the regional government,” said Andi Sudirman in a statement received in Makassar. Additionally, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government proposed an increase in the capacity of the Basarnas base in the Selayar Islands Regency. The reinforcement includes the addition of ship and fast boat fleets, as well as personnel who can be on standby in the archipelagic region. According to him, strengthening Basarnas’s capacity in island regions is important to improve preparedness for extreme weather conditions that pose risks to fishermen and inter-island ferries. “This is done for preparedness efforts against extreme weather conditions for fishermen and inter-island crossing vessels prone to accidents,” he said, accompanied by Selayar Islands Regent Muh Natsir Ali and the Pangkep Regent. Andi Sudirman expressed hope that the meeting would garner national attention, given the high potential for maritime accidents in archipelagic areas, particularly in the Selayar Islands Regency, Pangkep, and several other island regions in South Sulawesi.