Eight killed after overloaded ferry sinks in Indonesia’s Mahakam River

JAKARTA – Eight people died after an allegedly overloaded ferry carrying sacks of cement sank in the Mahakam River, a major waterway in East Kalimantan, amid a strong current.

The accident happened near Ujoh Halang in Long Iram district, West Kutai regency, East Kalimantan on Nov 10 at about 9pm local time. The ferry was headed to a pier of palm oil plantation firm PT Borneo Daya Lestari. Rescue workers managed to save 20 of the 28 passengers.

The body of the first victim, Marselus Bouk, 24, was recovered on Wednesday morning at about 6am, some 3.69km from the accident site.

Rescue workers later discovered the remains of Anci Anwar, 50, Dedy, 30, Yanto, 40, Ilham, 27, Asmanu alias Bogel, 55, and Ira, 24, in different locations, between 100m to 13km from the sinking point. The final victim, Pendy, 30, was found on the evening of Nov 12, some 10.7km from the accident site. All victims were interned at the Harapan Insan Sendawar General Hospital in Barong Tongkok district.

The West Kutai Disaster Management Agency said that the ferry was probably overloaded. This factor and the strong current contributed to the ferry sinking.

National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Balikpapan office operations and alertness head Endrow Sasmita said that a joint rescue operation was launched after the agency received a report about the ship. An investigation is still underway.

The strong river current, however, was claimed to have obstructed rescue efforts. Attempts by divers to reach the ship’s hull were halted because the strong current endangered the divers’ lives. Divers were trying to find passengers who might have been trapped inside the ship’s hull.

In addition to the strong river current, rescue workers also had to work at night, limiting their abilities. A diving attempt at about 3pm on Nov 11 to observe the ship’s hull had to be cancelled because of the high risk.

Rescue workers then continued their search by using other methods, such as sweeping the river surface, conducting land observation and using rubber boats, speedboats, thermal drones and diving gear. “The joint SAR team continued the search operations by using a sweeping method on the river surface until the afternoon,” Mr Endrow said.

In addition to rescue workers from the Balikpapan office of Basarnas, the joint search rescue team included personnel from the West Kutai Police, the 2nd Company of the Mobile Brigade’s Pelopor Regiment, Water and Police Water, East Kalimantan and West Kutai BPBDs, Transportation Agency, the military, medical workers and residents.

Remote area Ujoh Halang is the administrative seat of Long Iram district. Located on Mahakam riverbank, the area is an important hub for river transportation and logistics distribution to the interior of East Kalimantan. Waterways are the main way to access Ujoh Halang, with piers the main transit points for upstream villages such as Tering, Long Hubung and Long Pahangi.

Roads are still limited and not yet fully connected to the national road network, making the river the backbone of residents’ mobility and goods distribution. There are logistics and mining activities in Ujoh Halang that also use the river to transport goods and materials.

There are several lumber and coal companies operating in Long Iram and its surroundings, although they do not have permanent bases in the village. The village usually serves as the coordination point for various governmental activities, public services and emergency response activities.

Ujoh Halang village can be reached from Balikpapan overland with a journey of some 450 to 500km using the Balikpapan-Samarinda-Melak-Long Iram route.

The journey would take between 12 to 15 hours, depending on road conditions and weather. Such geographical conditions made it difficult for the joint SAR team to immediately respond to the accident. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK