Victim of KM Sentosa 2, Siti Fatimah, Buried Today

Layers of tragedy shrouded the funeral of Siti Fatimah, 57. Not only did she lose her life in the KM Sentosa 2 fire in the waters off Sumenep, East Java, but her return home was met with the sight of her family’s house razed to the ground. Emotions ran high as the ambulance from the South Sulawesi Police Medical and Health Division arrived on Tuesday evening. The victim’s child, who survived the same maritime disaster, fainted upon seeing the coffin and had to be carried by relatives. Mourners had to carry the coffin through puddles of mud and charred debris, as the bridge access to the late Siti Fatimah’s home had collapsed following a massive fire that destroyed 56 houses early last Friday. The house itself had been reduced to ashes. The story began with panic. Siti Fatimah had just picked up her youngest child, Nurul Iksan, a migrant worker in Taiwan, who was returning via Jakarta. Their plans changed abruptly upon receiving news that their home in Tallo had been completely destroyed by fire. Impatient to return, they opted for a sea route, boarding the KM Sentosa 2 from Surabaya to Makassar. During the journey in the waters off Sumenep, Madura, East Java, the ship caught fire and eventually sank. Amidst the panic that night, Nurul Iksan managed to save himself. Siti Fatimah was not as fortunate. She became one of the victims whose body was only recovered days later. A family member, Irwan, stated that their intention to return quickly was driven by the news of the house fire in Tallo. ‘They took a ship from Surabaya. But mid-journey, the ship caught fire. Her child survived, but the mother died. The house here is also gone. We have lost twice,’ he said. Siti Fatimah’s body was buried at the Family Cemetery in Manggala District, Makassar City, on Wednesday at 10:00 WITA. The grief was not felt by the family alone; all residents of Tallo whose homes were also destroyed shared in the bitterness of this homecoming.