"Indonesian Embassy`s staff in Tokyo are still searching for the four sailors."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Twenty-one Indonesian sailors working on the Japanese vessel Kayomaru survived the powerful earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan recently, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said here on Tuesday.

The 21 sailors were Sahadi, Sokhidin, Susmoro, Agus Priyanto, Anwar, Asmoro Bangun Bangit, Nugroho Sandhi, Wasito, Abdul Khalim, Muhamad Akhirudin, Sutono, Kusworo, Muhtar, Nurdiyanto, Zaenal Arifin, Harun Kadi Waru, Haryanto, Hermayan, Sukiri, Beny Khaeroni and Aris Budianto.

As to the fate of four sailors who were reported to have been missing after their ship Kunimaru no 3 was anchored in a port in Miyagi prefecture (one of the areas impacted by the 8.9 earthquake and tsunami), Tene said there was no news about their whereabouts so far.

"Indonesian Embassy`s staff in Tokyo are still searching for the four sailors and other remaining Indonesians in the impacted areas such as in Miyagi prefecture," he said adding that recently the embassy`s staff had succeed to evacuate ten more Indonesians from Miyagi to Tokyo.

Earlier, the Indonesian embassy in Tokyo said it had sent two rescue teams to Miyagi and Iwate prefectures on Saturday (March 12). The team had managed to find and relocate 121 Indonesians from Miyagi to Tokyo. About 94 of them were scheduled to arrive in Jakarta in Tuesday (March 15) afternoon.

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Eastern Japan and triggered a major tsunami that swept most of Japan`s mainland which set off a Tsunami alarm in most of the Pacific region.

According to Kyodo News Agency, the earthquake that occurred at 14.46 local time was recorded as the strongest quake after the magnitude 7.9 temblor in 1923 that rocked Tokyo and took 140,000 lives.

The Friday catastrophic earthquake has topped 1,200 casualties according to a police tally while hundreds are still missing after vast amounts of brown water torrent flooded the mainland carrying debris and swept ships from the sea.
(Uu.A051/HAJM/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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