The rescuers boarded the 237 Pandudewanata vessel, owned by the Ternate Office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), to assist the SAR operation, according to Head of the Basarnas-Ternate Office Fathur Rahman.
The LCT Bora V vessel capsized in the Tagulandang waters of Kepulauan Sitaro District after being hit by rogue waves in the midst of extreme weather on Sunday (Jan 21) at around 9:30 p.m. local time, he stated.
The ill-fated passenger ship, whose ramp door was reported to have fallen off after being crashed by rogue waves, carried 18 people, Rahman remarked.
Some 10 of them survived the sea accident, two died, and six others went missing, he stated, adding that the survivors and two bodies were rescued by a fishing boat, MV Mitra Bahari, in Ternate's Batang Dua waters.
In the SAR operation, the Basarnas-Manado Office deployed its Bimasena vessel, while the Manado Air and Sea Police Corps (Polairud) sent its Gandiwa ship, he remarked.
The SAR operation is also backed up by sufficient evacuation, medical, and communication equipment, Rahman stated.
ANTARA reported earlier that Indonesia remains vulnerable to sea accidents.
In June 2020, for instance, a tugboat, Multi Sahabat 8, capsized in the Batu Ampar waters, off Batam Island, Riau Islands Province. Although four of the tugboat’s crew survived, its skipper went missing.
On September 6, 2023, MV Mutiara Berkah I, carrying 135 cargo trucks and 159 passengers, caught fire at the Indah Kiat Port of Cilegon City, Banten Province.
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Translator: A.Fatah, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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