"We will work hard to investigate the ferry boat accident that has left seven people dead."Merak, Banten (ANTARA News) - The National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) has vowed to find out the cause of a collision between a ferry boat and an oil tanker a few miles off Bakauheni port in Lampung province.
"We will work hard to investigate the ferry boat accident that has left seven people dead," KNKT Chief Tatang Kurnadi said here on Thursday.
"The committee has not been able to establish the cause of the collision because the skipper of the ferry boat has not recovered yet," he explained.
Besides, Tatang added, the boat`s navigator was also killed in the accident.
"It will likely take 12 months for the committee to complete the investigation because the accident involved a foreign ship," he noted.
KM Bahuga Jaya ferry boat sank in Sunda Strait early on Wednesday after colliding with Norgas Cathinka, a liquefied petroleum gas and chemical carrier operated by Norwegian shipping company I.M. Skaugen SE.
Apart from carrying hundreds of passengers, the boat also had 10 motorcycles, 22 private cars, 17 minibuses, 11 pickup trucks, and 18 trucks.
The Transportation Ministry is also investigating the cause of the accident.
On Thursday morning, the Indonesian Navy deployed 17 soldiers from the Jala Mengkara Detachment (Denjaka) to evacuate the victims of the ill-fated ferry boat.
"Nine out of 17 soldiers have dived into the waters to determine the exact location of the ferry," said Denjaka Chief Captain Sukirno, adding that bad weather conditions were likely to hamper the evacuation process.
"Strong sea currents are the main obstacles to successful evacuation. They are worse than sea waves. Besides, the ferry is probably located at a depth of about 50 metres," he pointed out.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) also dispatched a team of divers to assist in the evacuation of victims.
(Uu.S012/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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