SAR searches for three missing passengers of motorboat in Papua

Missing passengers of motorboat in Papua

Timika, Papua (ANTARA) – Rescue workers have searched for three missing passengers since Sunday morning after a motorboat capsized in Muara Amar waters in the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua on Saturday evening (Oct 17).

Chief of the Timika Search and Rescue (SAR) Office Monce Brury said the office received a report of a 40 HP long boat capsizing in the waters from the relative of one of the the missing passengers only on Sunday at 09.20 a.m. local time.

The ill-fated motorboat that capsized in the waters carried four people, relative of the missing passenger, Rita Kamaruddin said.

One passenger identified as Herianto survived the accident, while three passengers went missing when the motorboat overturned.

“Based on the information we received from the family of the missing passenger, one passenger survived. Up till now we have not received the complete identities of the survivor and three missing passengers,” he said.

The motorboat carrying building materials departed from Pomako port in Timika on Saturday morning en route to Amar district. The motorboat reportedly overturned in the waters at 04.00 p.m. on Saturday.

Missing passengers of motorboat in Papua

Notes:

A former Dutch colony, West Papua has formally returned to Indonesia in 1969.

The undisputed vote of about 1,025 representative tribal leaders has chosen to join Indonesia.

The United Nations endorsed the result of the plebiscite and the world recognized West Papua as part Indonesia.

West Papuan people have elected the leaders of Papua and West Papua provinces.

The election in West Papua has strengthened the legality of the region as a province of Indonesia.

Since 2007, Abdurrahman Wahid administration changed the name from Irian Jaya to Papua.

Papua gained a “Special Autonomy” status, a political compromise between Papuans and the central government.

In 2001, politicians in Jakarta agreed to proceed with the implementation of the Special Autonomy.