3 days ago
Indonesian authorities confirm vehicle linked to missing Malaysian was on capsized ferry
KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian authorities have confirmed that a vehicle linked to a Malaysian citizen was among those listed aboard the missing ferry, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya.
However, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Deputy for Operations and Readiness, R. Eko Suyatno, said however, the ferry's travel manifest, which listed eight names, did not include any Malaysians.
He said that following information received from the Malaysian Embassy, the East Java Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) was instructed to coordinate with the police to trace the registration plate of a vehicle believed to have been used by Fauzey Awang, 55, who was reportedly aboard the ferry in a tourist van when it capsized in the Bali Strait.
"Following investigations, we confirmed that the vehicle with the given registration number was indeed listed as a passenger on the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya.
"However, the travel manifest with eight names did not include any Malaysians," he said in a statement today.
He added that the search for victims from the ferry, which sank along the Ketapang–Gilimanuk route, continued on Friday (July 4), with the joint search and rescue (SAR) team combing the sea, air and land until 4pm.
The operation, he said, was hampered by poor weather conditions over the Bali Strait, which experienced light rain, wind speeds of 4 to 14 knots blowing from the south to southwest, wave heights ranging from 0.4 to 1.25 metres, and ocean currents of 0.86 to 2.06 metres per second.
"Maritime search operations were carried out throughout the Bali Strait from north to south, while three air SAR units conducted aerial sweeps along the same route.
"Ground teams, meanwhile, monitored coastal areas on both the Ketapang and Gilimanuk sides," he said.
The New Straits Times has reached out to the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta for comments.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta contacted Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding a Malaysian citizen feared to be among the victims still missing in the passenger ferry incident, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, which capsized in the Bali Strait late Wednesday night.
Fauzey, is believed to have been inside a tourist van that was also on board the ferry KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya when it capsized in the Bali Strait.
It was understood that he was on his way back to Malaysia via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, after taking the van from Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi, East Java.
The embassy has also contacted the victim's family and is closely monitoring the progress of the ongoing search and rescue operation.
