Angry relatives criticise safety measures as they wait for news of ferry-sinking victims
DISTRAUGHT RELATIVES have criticised Indonesia’s government for not enforcing basic safety measures on passenger boats amid a search for more than 190 people missing since a ferry sank on a picturesque Sumatran lake.
The wooden vessel, overcrowded with passengers as well as dozens of motorbikes, did not have a manifest and disaster officials have several times raised the number of people it was carrying as family members who rushed to Lake Toba in northern Sumatra provided information.
The boat was five times over its passenger capacity and equipped with only 45 life jackets, National Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi said.
The latest information is that 192 people are missing, he said.
Only 18 survivors have been found, in bad weather within hours of the sinking on Monday evening, which according to Mr Syaugi occurred in waters more than 984ft deep but close to an island popular with visitors.
It is possible many of the victims were still inside the sunken ferry, said North Sumatra province police chief Paulus Waterpau.
“Many survivors told authorities that fewer than half of them had jumped into the water before the boat sank,” he said.
Suwarni, whose 20-year-old son and his girlfriend were on the ferry, criticised the search and rescue operation as slow and insufficient.
“Millions of questions keep me from sleeping,” said Suwarni, who uses one name.
“What kind of government is this that can’t protect their own people from unnecessary accidents? And after the accident they’re not able to find the victims,” she said.
“I beg help to everyone to quickly find my son and his girlfriend, even if their remains, please find my son, return him to me.”