"The three Indonesians who suffered severe burns were to be flown to Christchurch by a US Air Force plane at 20.45 local time," said Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Agus Sriyono when contacted from Jakarta on Friday.
The South Korean fishing vessel with 7 Indonesians in its 40-man crew caught fire in the Ross Sea area, 3.704 kilometers southeast of New Zealand, last Wednesday (Jan 11) morning.
The three injured Indonesian fishermen were identified as Sutrisno, Domssi Sitaniapessy and Jantje Sopacua. The latter sustained burns on 50-60 percent of his body and the others on 30 percent of their bodies.
Jantje had the worst burns because he was the last one who jumped overboard after the boat caught fire.
"According to the initial plan, the three injured Indonesians will be treated at Christchurch Hospital. Embassy staff will see them in the morning to observe their condition," said Agus.
Besides ensuring the Indonesian nationals` safety, Agus would also meet with the fishing vessel`s agent and talk about the crew members` rights.
"We will ask the vessel`s agency to pay for the medical treatment and buy tickets to Indonesia after they have recovered," he said.
Meanwhile, three Indonesian crew members of the South Korean vessel Jeong Woo 3, Ferilando Alfonso, Maryanto and Victor Sopacua were scheduled to arrive in New Zealand seven days from now.
"The embassy will continue to coordinate with New Zealand authorities," he said.
All seven Indonesians on the Jeong Woo 3 were reported to have been successfully evacuated while three Vietnamese of the crew were killed in the accident.
The survivors of the fire on Jeong Woo 3 had received medical treatment on board a US hospital research vessel, the Nathanie B Palmer.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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