Search for two missing divers extended by another three days after discovery of first body

JAKARTA - Indonesian rescuers have extended their search for two of three missing divers in the waters between Sumatra and Java islands by three more days, till Friday (Nov 15).

This was decided after the operation on Tuesday (Nov 12) yielded no results, said Mr Muhammad Zaenal Arifin, chief of the Banten chapter of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

"The focus for the next three days will be on areas in the west of Lampung," he told The Straits Times.

The number of search personnel will be increased, with additional manpower from the agency's Lampung chapter, he added.

The search operation was first extended on Saturday (Nov 9), when the Indonesian rescue team comprised 180 people, including 19 divers, and four helicopters.

The second extension yesterday followed Monday's discovery of the body of one of the three missing divers in the waters near Lampung province in Sumatra by local fishermen.

The body, clad in a diving suit, along with diving equipment, was spotted floating around 8 miles (12.8km) from Bengkunat port in Pesisir Barat regency of Lampung. This was dozens of miles from where the three men - a Singaporean and two Chinese nationals - first went diving.

The body found was described as around 175cm tall and fair-skinned, and estimated to be 50 to 60 years old, according to the police, local media reported. One of the accessories found on the body was a Suunto watch, which was still functioning.

He was hard to identify from his face due to "swelling and decay", news agency Antara reported.

The body was flown to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta a few hours after it was found and immediately transferred to the Kramatjati police hospital for forensic examination.

The identification is still in progress, Police Commissioner Lisda Cancer, head of the disaster victim identification unit at the National Police, told The Straits Times in a text message.

The family of one of the missing trio handed his personal data to the police on Monday, according to local media.

The three divers were identified as Singaporean Wang Bing Yang and two Chinese nationals, Mr Qin Xue Tao and Mr Tian Yu. They were among six foreigners who dived into Indonesian waters on Nov 3 in two groups. Only one group returned to their base on Sangiang Island.

The island is situated in the Sunda Strait, which has strong undercurrents that previously have swept divers away. Boats also often capsize in the area because of high tides.

On Sept 8 last year, Jakarta resident James Ade Ignatius Salaka was carried away by an unexpectedly strong undercurrent while diving off Sangiang island. The 32-year-old man was later found dead.