BFF-25 Sunken Indonesia ferry may have been located: officials

557

ZCZC

BFF-25

INDONESIA-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT

Sunken Indonesia ferry may have been located: officials

SIMALUNGUN, Indonesia, June 25, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indonesian authorities
said Monday they think they have pinpointed the location of an overloaded
ferry that sank into the depths of a volcanic lake leaving scores missing
presumed dead.

The discovery could be a major breakthrough in the search for the vessel
which sank last Monday on Lake Toba, a picturesque tourist destination in
Sumatra.

An object measuring 20 metres by five metres was found at a depth of 450
metres (1,475 feet) on Sunday, said Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national
search and rescue agency.

“The shape of the silhouette is like that of a ship,” Syaugi told AFP.

However, further analysis would be required to confirm if it was the
stricken vessel, he added.

Lake Toba, which fills the crater of a supervolcano that exploded in a
massive eruption tens of thousands of years ago, is one of the world’s
deepest lakes, plunging some 500 metres in spots.

Due to its depth, search teams will use remotely operated underwater
vehicles to help identify the object.

Three passengers have been confirmed dead in the accident, with 18
survivors. Official estimates listed 193 others — including children — as
missing.

The traditional wooden boat could have been carrying five times the number
of passengers it was built to hold, along with dozens of motorcycles,
officials have said.

The vessel is believed to have been operating illegally with no manifest or
passenger tickets and authorities have struggled to pinpoint the exact number
onboard when it went down in bad weather.

The missing toll has raised fears that many bodies are trapped inside the
ferry at the bottom of the lake.

The accident could be one of Indonesia’s deadliest maritime disasters.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said investigators had uncovered a
range of violations.

Four suspects have been named, including the boat captain, as well as three
senior officials at Simanindo port, he said.

“These three people were supposed to monitor and check (vessels’)
seaworthiness,” Karnavian said.

Survivors have said the boat began shaking as it struggled to navigate
strong winds and high waves about halfway into the 40-minute trip from an
island in the middle of the lake to shore.

Traditional vessels like the one in the Lake Toba disaster are often packed
beyond capacity and lacking safety equipment.

BSS/AFP/MSY/1210 hrs