The Surabaya SAR agency will continue the search for 16 passengers of the sunken ferry who remain missing.
Ribut Eko Suyatno, deputy for SAR operations and preparedness at Basarnas, handed over the search mission coordination to Didit Arie Ristandy, head of the agency’s SAR operations and preparedness, on Tuesday.
The handover, which took place at Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi district, East Java, was also witnessed by the families of the 16 missing passengers.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the handover, Ristandy said that search and rescue operations to locate the missing passengers will be carried out for seven days -- from July 15 to July 21.
He added that his office is coordinating with several agencies in the districts of Banyuwangi, East Java, and Jembrana, Bali, to secure essential SAR gear for the week-long mission.
Under the SAR operation, rescuers are focusing on combing the southern part of the Bali Strait, he added.
As of Tuesday evening, the death toll from the ferry sinking was recorded at 19. Thirty people survived the mishap.
The roll-on/roll-off ferry left Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, at 10:56 p.m. local time on July 2 with 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles on board.
It sank en route to Gilimanuk Port in Bali around 11:35 p.m. local time. The wreckage of the vessel was found on the seabed of the Bali Strait at a depth of about 50 meters below the sea surface.
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Translator: Novi H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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