Rescue Team Finds Coordinate of the Capsized Boat in Lake Toba

Following a night-long search, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Muhammad Syaugi said that his team finally discovered the exact location where the KM Sinar Bangun boat tragically capsized at one of Indonesia’s largest volcanic lakes, Lake Toba in North Sumatra.

“We already attained the coordinate of where the boat capsized and we also mapped-out the geological surroundings to know how far and where the victims have drifted from their initial positions,” said Syaugi at the Tiga Ras Port on Wednesday, June 20.

The KM Sinar Bangun reportedly capsized in its way to the port of Tiga Ras from the port of Simanindo, Samoris at around 17:30 Indonesian Western Time on Monday. The boat, mostly made from wood, suspectedly carried up to hundreds of passengers together with dozens of motorcycles, which is well-over the boat’s limits. It is believed that the boat sunk after being hit by high tides caused by strong winds.

Up until Tuesday, June 19, the combined rescue team rescued 18 survivors and one dead victim identified as Tri Suci Wulandari. The team strongly suspects that there are still 94 other victims that have yet to be discovered, which is based on family testimonies considering that the KM Sinar Bangun did not carry a passenger manifest.

Furthermore, Syaugi said that the Basarnas will deploy a dedicated professional diver team from Jakarta equipped with the necessary special gears to further search for the remaining victims in the following seven-to-three days, which are believed to be at the bottom of the lake.

courtasy : Tempo.co
photo : Bisnis Tempo.co

[social_warfare buttons=”Facebook,Pinterest,LinkedIn,Twitter,Total”]