Today, the team has identified a body labeled I-LNG-013 as Brigadier Joko Sungatno."
Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of Riau Islands Police on Tuesday identified another passenger of the ill-fated M-28 Skytruck Police airplane, which crashed in the waters of Riau Islands on Saturday (Dec 3).

"Today, the team has identified a body labeled I-LNG-013 as Brigadier Joko Sungatno. It was identified by comparing dental data and personal effects, which was a jacket tagged with the name Joko S," Chief of Riau Islands Police Brigadier General Sam Budigusdian stated here at Bhayangkara Police Hospital on Tuesday.

The team also found a DNA sample of Brigadier Joko Sungatno matched that of the body.

So far, six passengers from the plane have been identified by the DVI team.

The other five identified passengers were Second Brigadier Eri Dwi Perdana, Brigadier Suwarno, Adjunct Commissioner Safran, Adjunct Commissioner Abdul Munir, and Chief Brigadier Erwin.

The identified bodies will be held until the search operation is completed, the local police chief reported.

The police plane departed from Jakarta for Pangkal Pinang in the Sumatran province of the Bangka-Belitung Islands with 16 people on board.

Three passengers disembarked at Pangkal Pinang, while the remaining 13 continued the flight to Batam, Riau Islands. The plane crashed while en-route to Batam.

All the passengers on board, including the crew members, were policemen.

The plane reportedly lost contact above the northern waters of Lingga District, Riau Islands Province.

The search operation, led by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), is utilizing advanced technology to find both debris and passengers from the ill-fated plane.

The joint task force comprises Basarnas personnel and members of the coast guard, the navy, and the Rescue Coordination Center in Singapore.

(Reporting by Larno/Uu.A059/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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