Transportation Minister Visits Command Post Handling Teratai Prima Victims
Parepare, S Sulawesi (ANTARA Sulsel) - Minister of Transportation Djusman Safii Djamal on Monday night visited the command post handling the KM Teratai Prima victims at Cappa port, Parepare.
The minister accompanied by South Sulawesi Deputy Governor Agus Arifin Nu'mang, Parapare Mayor Zain Katoe, and member of the House of Representatives Hadi Djamal arrived at the command post at 11:30 p.m local time, and went straight to the data room and met those on duty at the post, and the victims' relevatives.
The minister expressed his sadness over the accident of KM Teratai Prima which sank after being hit by high waves triggered by a strong typhoon when on its way from Parapare port in South Sulawesi to Samarinda in East Kalimantan.
Before going to the command post, the minister met with the ill-fated ship's captain Sabir and some of the ship's crew who survived the accident, and now staying at the police station in Parapare.
Sabir told the minister that his ship went down after being hit by a strong wind and high waves, and sank to the bottom of the sea only about five minutes later.
In front of hundreds of the victims' relatives flocking to the Parepare port authority, the minister expressed his sadness over the accident and told the relevant authorities to keep searching for the victims in the next seven days.
"We will be searching for the victims with everything we have including search and rescue personnel, the Navy, the Police, the Army and Air Force," he said.
The minister also asked the families of the victims to be patient in facing this ordeal. The search and rescue (SAR) team will do its utmost in searching for the victims, while the command post continued monitoring the lastest developments on the condition of the victims who have been found as well as those still gone missing.
According to the command post at Cappa Ujung port, a total of 37 had been found alive, but one dead identified as a woman and already evacuated to Majene on board the warship KRI Untung Senopati.
The seven survivors rescued by the cargo vessel CGL V are currently on their way to the Makassar port. (HNG/S012)
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