Survivor and dead body found from ill-fated ship

JAKARTA (JP): A bedraggled survivor and the first dead body from KLM Arta Rimba, the ship with more than 325 people aboard which sank near the West Kalimantan coast on Sunday, were found on Thursday.

"They were found by fishermen near the accident site," Capt. Zainuddin, the section chief in charge of sea traffic and transport at the port administration's office in Pontianak, told The Jakarta Post by phone.

Zainuddin speculated the ship's captain and crew "played tricks on authorities" because the vessel was not authorized to carry passengers.

He said the survivor found in the South China Sea on Thursday was evacuated to a hospital in Singkawang, about 20 kilometers south of the ship's departure point on Saturday and 130 kilometers north of the provincial capital Pontianak.

The man's rescue brought to 20 the number of survivors. At least 304 are still missing.

The ship was en route to Riau's Pekanbaru port.

It was only permitted to carry the captain and seven crew members.

Zainuddin ruled out any foreigners being aboard the ship.

"No foreigners would have wanted to board it," he said. The 148-ton ship, measuring 30 meters long and 10 meters wide, was apparently grossly overcrowded.

Survivors told a local daily they boarded the ship from another port in Sambas, not the one cited by a Sambas port administration office. The ship's permit stated it was to set sail last Thursday.

Villagers

Aboard were mostly villagers seeking employment in Riau, reports said.

Zainuddin said the search for survivors was continuing with the help of the Navy warship KRI Rencong, its Nomad plane and other search and rescue units.

"The Navy asked for body bags this morning," he said.

Arta Rimba sank 11 hours after setting sail when the ship's crew was unable to fix a leak in the hull.

Capt. Hermanto, 33, one of the survivors, said he issued a distress call, but the radio apparently malfunctioned. The water pump was also broken.

Hermanto said he instructed passengers to put on the 200 life jackets available on the ship, while the rest were forced to grab onto anything that could float.

The ship reportedly sank near Tambelan, part of a cluster of islands near the site.

In 1981, at least 600 people were killed when Tampomas II sank off East Java. In 1996, 338 passengers died when the Gurita ferry capsized near Sabang, Aceh. (aan)