ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The South Korean government through the Korean Coast Guard (KCG) team continues to search for four Indonesian citizens who disappeared due to the sinking of the fishing vessel 2 Haesinho off the southern coast of Tongyeong City, South Korea, on Saturday, March 9 2024.
“The South Korean government will continue searching for four victims from Indonesia who have not yet been found,” said South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Sang Deok in Tangerang, Banten, Saturday, March 16 2024.
He said that South Korean authorities had deployed 19 KCG ships, one Korean Navy ship, and 27 private ships in the area, plus 13 helicopters and 20 divers to search for victims of the sinking of the fishing boat.
Apart from that, the South Korean government has coordinated with the company as the ship owner to prepare for the repatriation of the bodies of three Indonesian ship crew members who had been found previously, as well as fulfilling their rights.
On this occasion, Lee also expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims of the ship accident. His party promised to immediately provide the latest news regarding the progress of the search for the drowning victims.
“Once again I express my condolences for the loss experienced by Indonesian citizens. On behalf of the Korean people, once again I express my condolences for their loss,” he said.
Previously, the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) had received the bodies of three Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who were victims of a ship that sank off the southern coast of Tongyeong City via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten.
During the repatriation of the bodies of the victims of the sinking ship, the identities were identified, namely Maulana Mansyur from Sukabumi, West Java; R Arie Permana from Sumedang, West Java; and Safrudin, a resident of Brebes, Central Java.
The bodies of the three Indonesian citizens were transported using a Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-343 aircraft, flight number GA879 on the Jakarta route, which landed at 15.55 WIB at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Cargo Terminal, Saturday afternoon.
Upon the return of the three PMI bodies, BP2MI immediately returned them and delivered them to their respective areas of origin.
At least seven people are missing after a fishing boat sank off the southern coast of Tongyeong City, South Korea, last Saturday.
A total of nine crew members, including seven Indonesians, were on board when the 29-tonne vessel capsized in the morning in waters 68 kilometers south of the island area of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Yonhap News reported, citing coast patrol officers.
Two crew members were found unconscious on board the ship and have been taken to hospital. Meanwhile, the search operation for other members is still being carried out.
South Korean authorities have not provided additional information regarding the nationalities of the other two crew members. (ATN)
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