"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), today, they have returned to their home in Tangerang by plane," Head of the Tanjung Pandan Nusantara Fisheries Port (PPN) Arif Usman stated in Tanjung Pandan, Saturday.
According to Usman, the 10 crew members were successfully evacuated to the port of Tanjung Pandan, Belitung, Bangka Belitung Islands, after the ship sank.
The 10 crew members comprised one captain and nine crews, with the youngest being 21 and the oldest aged 51.
Meanwhile, the government assisted them with the expenses borne for plane tickets.
"They flew to Jakarta at 1 p.m. local time," he remarked.
Usman noted that upon arrival in Jakarta, they would be immediately returned to their respective families, who had been waiting for their arrival in Tangerang, Banten.
Earlier, KM Mekar Jaya, while fishing, encountered an accident in the Java Sea waters due to bad weather. Its crews were rescued by the KM Bandar Bestari 05 crew members, who were sailing near the site where the ship sank.
KM Mekar Jaya departed from Tangerang to fish in Java Sea and encountered bad weather on Wednesday (January 4) at 2 a.m. local time. After the ship sank, the crew floated in the sea for a while.
"They were then rescued by the crew of KM Bandar Bestari that passed by the location and were taken to Tanjung Pandan Port," Usman revealed.
Captain of KM Mekar Jaya, Sarda, expressed his gratitude to all parties, who had helped evacuate him and his crew until their return to Tangerang.
"Thank you to all those who have helped us, both in the evacuation and our return to our hometown in Tangerang," he remarked.
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Translator: Kasmono, Kenzu
Editor: Sri Haryati
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