Head of the East Nusa Tenggara Police's medical and health sub-department, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Eddy Syaputra Hasibuan, said that as of 3:30 p.m. local time (UTC +8) on Tuesday, all bodies were identified and seven were handed over to their respective families.
"Another seven bodies just recently arrived (here) at 8 a.m. today," Hasibuan informed here on Tuesday.
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After the bodies were identified, officers bathed and clothed them according to the victims' religious rites before handing them over to their families, the sub-department head said.
The authority faced no difficulties in identifying the victims of the ferry fire, he added.
Hasibuan disclosed that of the 14 casualties, 6 were male and 8 female.
"We also identified two children among the casualties, who have been handed over to the respective families," he said.
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Earlier, head of the East Nusa Tenggara Police, Johanis Asadoma, said that the provincial police's identification team contributed to identifying the victims, including those with no identification on their bodies, through fingerprint identification.
He said that during the identification process, the victims' families waited at the police's Kupang Bhayangkara Hospital.
Meanwhile, head of the Kupang Search and Rescue (SAR) Office, I Putu Sudayana, confirmed that 14 passengers died in the Express Cantika 77 ferry fire while 326 passengers, including the casualties, were evacuated and brought to Kupang in several batches.
He added that around 100 people evacuated to Naikliu village will be transported back to Tenau Port.
"Those who are in Naikliu are still traumatized by the incident. Hence, they chose to go to Kupang by land," Sudayana said.
Related news: Ferry fire accident in Kupang claims 14 lives
Translator: Kornelis Kaha, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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