If later on we receive a report from any of us seeing and finding body parts of victims or victims, we will respond to and follow up on the report.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) on Thursday terminated the search operation for the bodies of passengers and debris of the crashed Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ-182 after a period of 13 days.
"As of Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 4.57 p.m. WIB (Western Indonesia Time), I declare the search and rescue operations for the crashed Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in the waters off Thousand Islands closed or terminated," Basarnas chief, Vice Marshal Bagus Puruhito, said at the Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT), Pier 2 in Jakarta on Thursday.
The decision was made based on tactical considerations, retrieved bodies, effectiveness, and after a meeting with the bereaved families and a joint meeting with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Puruhito informed.
Although the search operation has been declared closed, Basarnas will continue to monitor any developments through a follow-up operation, he said.
"If later on we receive a report from any of us seeing and finding body parts of victims or victims, we will respond to and follow up on the report," he added.
Basarnas’ 13-day joint search operation involved personnel from the Indonesian military, police, and institutions, among others. The joint operation was extended twice by three days each time.
More than 4,300 personnel, 63 vessels, and 15 airplanes were used in the joint operation.
In total, the joint team collected 324 bags of human remains, 68 bags of small debris, and 55 bags of large debris from the crash site.
The team also retrieved the flight data recorder (FDR) on the fourth day of the search operation and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) on the seventh day of the search operation.
The debris of the crashed plane, including the FDR and CVR, were handed to the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT), while the human remains were handed to the National Police's Disaster Victim Investigation (DVI) team.
The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182, bearing the registration number PK-CLC, had lost contact on January 9, 2021, at 2:40 p.m. Western Indonesia time (WIB) shortly after take-off and crashed between Lancang Island and Laki Island, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta. The plane had taken off from Jakarta and was headed to Pontianak.
Based on the manifest, the plane had 50 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Of the total passengers, 40 were adults, seven were children, and three were infants.
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Translator: Devi Nindy SR/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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