Families Struggle With Uncertainty as Crews Continue Search for Ferry Survivors
Sri Nuraini survived the chaos of Wednesday's tragic ferry accident. She survived the sinking ship, which is believed to have trapped more than 40 passengers inside, and the waters of the Sunda Strait.
But the mistaken belief that she lost two daughters in the accident proved to be too much.
Nuraini collapsed and died at Banten's Merak Port on Wednesday after the mother of three was unable to locate her two missing daughters.
"Nuraini died of heart attack, thinking that she lost two of her daughters," Mariati, an official with the General Affairs division of the Inland Waterland Transportation Service (ASDP) in Lampung told Jakarta Globe on Thursday.
But her baby girl Michele Balqis was found alive on Wednesday. She became separated from her family during the panic, but was found hours later by rescue crews. The curly-haired one year old had been strapped in a life jacket by her parents before the boat sank.
"The baby was detached from her parents... before the boat started sinking," Marpaung, one of the evacuation officer, said on Wednesday.
Nuraini's other daughter Nazwa Az-Zahra was among the eight bodies rescuers pulled from the water as search efforts continued on Thursday. They are believed to have jumped into the sea without life jackets and could not swim, said Heru Purwanto, an official at Bakauheni port on southern Sumatra.
More than 210 passengers and crew were rescued after a ferry collided with a chemical-carrying ship and sank 40 minutes into its 90-minute journey between Java and Sumatra.
"The ferry went down so fast after the collision," Heru said. It sank 20 minutes after the captain sent a distress signal, enabling 10 merchant ships sailing nearby in the busy Sunda Strait to immediately start rescuing passengers and crew, he said.
The manifest listed 213 passengers and crew and 78 vehicles on the ferry, but manifests are often unreliable in Indonesia because tickets are sold onboard to passengers who are never registered.
More than 80 passengers were hospitalized with injuries, including at least one in critical condition.
The search for survivors was continuing after many family members came forward to report the names of missing loved ones. Some passengers were believed to be inside vehicles parked on the ferry when it sank, possibly trapping them, said Budi Harto, who heads the local disaster management agency in Lampung province. He added that divers were hampered by the location where the ferry sank, with waters as deep as 90 meters (295 feet).
Lampung police chief Brig. Gen. Jodie Rooseto predicted that there might be dozens of victims trapped in the sinking boat. At least 43 passengers that have not been found.
Assistant truck driver Yuliantoni is among the missing.
The 30-year-old father of two last seen trapped under sacks of cement on the sinking boat, a coworker told the man's 29-year-old wife Maisah. It was his second day of work.
Maisah broke down in tears as she told reporters that she was still waiting for her husband's return.
"I don't know my husband's condition, whether he is still alive or dead," Maisah said. "I'm hoping for a miracle. I hope my husband will return safe and reunite with my family."
JG/AP/Antara
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