Simalungun, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The joint National Agency for Search and Relief (Basarnas) team added more equipment to search for victims and shipwreck in the waters of Lake Toba in Simalungun District, North Sumatra Province.

"We use two trawls from Belawan and Sibolga," Medan Head of the Basarnas Office Budiawan stated here on Wednesday.

Both trawls will be empowered using North Sumatra`s ferry ships I and II at certain points where objects were detected by sonar scan.

The points, located in the south-west, are two kilometers (km) and 2.5 km from the Port of Tiga Ras, at a depth of 490 meters.

Budiawan said the search on the 10th day focused on patterns on the surface and in the waters, air, and coastal fringes.

Two Basarnas helicopters and the police were deployed to conduct aerial monitoring, while PT Japfa was placed on alert.

The Sinar Bangun motorboat sank on Monday, June 18, 2018, at 5:15 p.m. local time on the Simanindo route, Samosir-Tiga Ras Simalungun districts.

Some 18 passengers survived, while one helmsman was not recorded on the list. Three died, while some 183 people are still missing according to reports from the families of the passengers.

Several belongings of the ship`s passengers, such as helmets, bags, sandals, boots, and life jackets of KMP North Sumatra II, were found.

Reporter: Waristo
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
Copyright © ANTARA 2018