Fishermen’s Association and Gumair cease search for missing fishermen

For the past five days the teams searching for the missing fishermen have returned empty-handed. Last week 3 bodies were recovered and 5 survivors were rescued. But the search has not yielded any results since May 3. The Fishermen’s Association has reportedly ceased the search due to the high costs. “We have already searched the entire area,” said the chairman of the Fishermen’s Association, Willem Muhamedhusain. The organization had deployed about 20 boats. It had also chartered a private helicopter for 2 days. Gumair which had deployed a helicopter for 3 days at its own expense has also stopped the search. Gumair is credited with spotting 3 bodies near the Wiawia Bank. The government has not stopped its efforts aimed at finding victims of the deadly pirate attacks. 4 fishing boats which a crew of 5 each were attacked by pirates on April 27. Media reports, citing survivors, said that the fishermen were forced to jump in the sea, some with weights tied to their legs. Boats from the Coast Guard and helicopters and a plane from the National Army are still actively searching for survivors. Jerry Slijngaard, coordinator at the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control (NCCR), pointed out that he could not specifically indicate how many boats and helicopters have been deployed. He did confirm that the search is still ‘active.’ 12 fishermen are still officially missing.