Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 22 June 2018
Military vows to recover bodies from sunken Indonesia ferry

By BINSAR BAKKARA chief of Samosir island on
NINIEK KARMINI Lake Toba, told MetroTV
TIGARAS, Indonesia (AP) that police had detained
— Indonesia's military chief the rescued ferry captain,
said Thursday that specialist who was also the boat's
navy equipment will be de- owner.
ployed to pinpoint a ferry "We focused first on provid-
that sank in the crater lake ing health care for him to
of an ancient supervolca- recover, because his con-
no, offering a glimmer of dition is still unstable and
hope to distraught relatives traumatized," Darojat said.
that the bodies of more "He's still unable to answer
than 180 people presumed our questions, could not fo-
drowned will be recovered. cus to explain nor listen to
Only 18 people, including our questions. It's obvious
the captain, have been he is in shock and trauma-
rescued and four con- tized."
firmed dead since the ferry, National Police Chief Tito
massively overcrowded Karnavian said local trans-
with passengers and mo- portation officials must also
torcycles, sank early Mon- be held responsible.
day evening in waters that About a thousand people
officials say are up to 500 Relatives of victims of a sunken ferry wait for news at the Tigaras port in Toba lake, North Sumatra, crowded Tigaras pier on
meters (1,640 feet) deep. Wednesday, June, 20, 2018. Thursday, including sev-
As the search on Lake Toba Associated Press eral hundred relatives of
continued Thursday, hun- victims, some weeping un-
dreds of people waiting torted in disappointment about the fruitless search Ferries are an important controllably, others waiting
at a small port for news of or crying out the names effort. The officer defended means of transportation in strained silence.
missing relatives performed of loved ones when it be- himself by saying he hadn't in the nation of more than Cellphone video taken
an hour of mass Muslim came clear that no family slept for three days. 17,000 islands, which cover from another ferry that at-
and Christian prayers that member had been found. The disaster, likely Indo- an area that would stretch tempted to rescue people
were punctuated by sobs There was mounting an- nesia's worst sinking in from New York to London. after the sinking has spread
of grief. ger that hardly any bod- more than a decade, has Muhammad Syaugi, head widely online and on televi-
Each time a search and ies have been recovered. prompted President Joko of the national search and sion. The video shows doz-
rescue vessel docked, rela- TV broadcast footage of "Jokowi" Widodo to call for rescue agency, said 184 ens of people struggling in
tives ran toward it, only to one anguished man angrily an overhaul of safety stan- people are missing, revised rough waters and crying for
turn away with faces con- confronting a police officer dards for passenger boats. down from Wednesday's help while several of them
figure of 192 after further try to swim for an orange
checks showed some vic- lifesaver apparently thrown
tims were counted twice. from the ferry.
The search area has been Maruddin Siagian, waiting
doubled to 12 kilometers with other family members
(7.4 miles) around the ap- for news of his younger
proximate location of the brother, said they're haunt-
sinking, he said. ed by those images.
In Tigaras, on the island of "We hope the government
Sumatra, military chief Hadi will never stop the search,
Tjahjanto told reporters never stop, until all the vic-
that officials believe many tims are found," Siagian
victims are trapped inside said. "We're tormented
the sunken ferry. Special- waiting for news about him,
ist deep water equipment without any certainty like
was to be sent from Jakarta this. Especially our mother,"
on Thursday afternoon, he he said. "But we're deter-
said. mined to keep waiting un-
"Our navy equipment that til the body of our brother
can reach up to a depth is found. For us, his body is
of 600 meters will be able precious, we want to bury
to determine the exact lo- him properly for his soul to
cation of the ship," he said. be peaceful, and so we
"When we can determine are too." The 1,145-square
where the ship is, we will kilometer (440-square mile)
determine the technique Lake Toba, formed from
of how to retrieve the vic- the caldera of an ancient
tims." Divers have only supervolcano, is a popular
been able to reach depths destination on the island
of 50 meters (164 feet) and of Sumatra and one of 10
an underwater drone de- stunning natural attractions
ployed in the search has a in Indonesia that the gov-
maximum operating depth ernment aims to develop
of 200 meters (656 feet). as magnets for internation-
Agus Darojat, the police al and local tourists.q