Ten boats sink in waters off Asahan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

At least 10 boats sank during a four-day storm which caused violent seas off Asahan regency, North Sumatra, in the Strait of Malacca, officials said on Thursday.

However, there were no reports of human casualties.

The mishaps occurred as the vessels, including the KM Sri Duyung, KM Marlboro, KM Batam Utama and the KM Sinar Jaya, were sailing from Malaysia to Tanjung Balai port in North Sumatra.

The naval authorities based in Tanjung Balai reported that the incidents were handled by the local Sea Security Unit (Kamla).

Out of the 10 ill-fated boats, Kamla personnel had already identified five -- two classified as fishing boats and the other three were cargo boats. Five more boats were still unidentified.

Chief of the Navy detachment in Tanjung Balai Asahan Capt. Tubagus Budi Wahyudi said the search for the sunken ships continued on Thursday in coordination with other naval units in Jemur Island, part of Asahan.

"The rescue team still can't find the boats. We have spotted quite a bit of flotsam scattered about," he stated.

He said nobody was reported missing after the accidents as all crew members of the boats were saved by passing vessels in the area.

Iwan, a surviving crew member from the KM Batam Utama, blamed the storm.

According to his account, the situation at sea was horrifying at the time due to strong winds that were followed by heavy rain and huge waves.

Before his boat sank, he said, it was dragged by the strong currents several miles off course before it finally capsized.

"Our boat sank in the open seas in the Malacca Strait. We had to jump overboard when the boat was going down," Iwan told The Jakarta Post.

He said that just after the crew members jumped overboard, the KM Melati Senja which was in the area managed to rescue them.

"We tried the best we could to save the ship, but the waves were so huge and we were powerless to navigate it any longer," Iwan said.

The stormy seas this week also forced hundreds of local fishermen to stay home.

Misdi, 47, a trawler crew member, said he and his fellow fishermen were unable to go to sea for four days due to the inclement weather.

"We can't set sail when the waves are high. Apart from endangering our lives, our fishing equipment can't be used in such weather," he said.