The medical personnel comprise forensic doctors, forensic dentists, and experts in dental, fingerprint, and DNA examinations, Head of public relations for the East Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Jules Abraham Abast, said.
They have been drawn from Bhayangkara Bondowoso Hospital and Bhayangkara Lumajang Hospital, and are being assisted by Specialist Doctor Education Program (PPDS) personnel from Dr. Soetomo Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of Airlangga University, Banyuwangi, Abast added.
“The identification process is located at the Blambangan Banyuwangi Hospital,” Abast said in a statement released on Tuesday.
He informed that the DVI team has been given the task of gathering information and conducting a thorough examination of the bodies of victims and their belongings.
“All findings, both victims and belongings, will be taken for examination, and we will match them with ante-mortem data from the family,” he said.
He added that the pace of the identification process will depend on the condition of the bodies. If the bodies are intact and have identification marks, the process could be quicker.
“However, the main principle in identification is not about fast or slow, but about accuracy. We do not want to make a mistake in identifying victims,” Abast said.
Data from the Joint SAR Operations Post at Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi district, on Tuesday put the number of survivors at 30, the number of dead at 8, and the number of missing at 27.
KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya was carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles when it sank in the Bali Strait on July 2, 2025.
On Monday, a joint search and rescue (SAR) team prepared 37 divers from the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the Indonesian Navy to conduct underwater operations using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to locate the passenger ship.
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Translator: Novi Husdinariyanto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
