Teams may extend search for Thousand Island victims

The Jakarta Post,  Jakarta  |  Mon, 03/09/2009 6:15 pm

 

The Tanjung Priok Search and Rescue (SAR) office says it may extend a search for seven missing victims of a collision between cargo ship KM Rimba 3 and a tugboat, Harapan Indah 7, in the Thousand Islands off Jakarta on Thursday.

 

The office would propose to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to continue the search, despite a seven-day limit, Tanjung Priok administration chief Bobby R. Mamahit told tempointeraktif.com on Monday.

 

“We will possibly continue the search if the weather is fine,” Bobby said.

 

The team had focused its search on the bottom deck of a cargo ship, and expects to find the remains of the other seven missing crew members within three days, he said.

 

Thus far, the team has found the remains of six of 13 missing cargo boat crew members who had been on their way to Medan at the time of the collision. Police have questioned the cargo boat’s crew of five. (ewd)