6 marines killed after amphibious tank sinks

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP/Antara): An aging amphibious tank sank in stormy seas during a military training exercise, killing at least six Indonesian marines and leaving one missing, a Navy spokesman said Sunday.

The accident occurred in the Java Sea on Saturday, the final day of a weeklong naval exercise involving dozens of Russian-made amphibious tanks, submarines and warships, Navy chief spokesman Cmdr. Iskandar Sitompul said.

The 45-year-old BTR-50P amphibious assault tank sank after encountering three-meter high waves off Situbondo in East Java.

"The crew could not control the tank because of the high waves and strong currents," Iskandar told reporters after the bodies of the six arrived at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base on Sunday for a military ceremony.

"A marine was stuck in the exit door when escaping the tank, blocking six other marines."

One other marine was missing and eight survived.

Iskandar said the Navy would evaluate the tanks, made in Russia in 1962, to prevent such accidents in the future.