Sunken Indonesia ferry may have been located
A SUNKEN Indonesian ferry could be sitting 450 metres below the surface of one the world’s deepest lakes, officials said Monday, raising fears that scores of missing may never be retrieved from their watery grave.
The vessel was believed to be operating illegally with no manifest, life jackets or passenger tickets, police said, after questioning the ferry’s captain, and authorities have struggled to pinpoint the exact number onboard when it went down a week ago in bad weather.
Sonar equipment detected an object that might be the overloaded boat which capsized and sank a week ago on Lake Toba, a picturesque tourist destination in Sumatra.
“The shape of the silhouette is like a ship,” Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue agency.
However, further analysis would be required to confirm if it was the vessel.
Despite the challenges in retrieving a ferry – and bodies – from the depths, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said it would be crucial to the investigation.
“If we can retrieve the boat, the KNKT [National Transportation Safety Committee] would be able to check it to see if it was properly designed and whether or not it complied with regulations,” he said. “So, getting this boat from the seabed is important.”
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 are using remotely operated underwater vehicles to help identify the object.
Just three passengers have been confirmed dead in the accident, with 18 survivors. Official estimates listed 193 others – including children – as missing. They are presumed dead, with bodies thought to be trapped inside the ferry.
“We are still trying to figure out the best way to retrieve the boat because we believe victims were trapped inside,” said military chief Hadi Tjahjanto.
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.
National police chief Tito Karnavian said investigators had uncovered a range of violations.
Four suspects have been named, including the captain, as well as three officials at Simanindo port, he said.
“We have found a number of violations,” Karnavian said.
“There were no life jackets. There was no manifest. These three [officials] were supposed to monitor and check [vessels’] seaworthiness.”