TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Ministry`s Head of national Eid homecoming post Wahju Adji explained that the evacuation team is still attempting to evacuate drowned victims of the capsized boat KM Sinar Bangun in Lake Toba.

He further said that the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) have yet to commence a thorough investigation regarding the cause of the incident. “The focus, currently, is to search for the missing victims. After that, the KNKT will investigate the incident more thoroughly,” said Wahju on Thursday, June 21.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi together with Director General of Land Transport Budi Setiadi and Armed Forces Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto are monitoring the location where the incident took place.

Read: Number of Passengers on Capsized Boat in Lake Toba 206 People

Furthermore, the search and rescue team evacuated four dead victims and 18 other survivors of the drowned KM Sinar Bangun. However, the number of people evacuated is still far from the boat’s full capacity of 43 people.

Even more worrying is that the KM Sinar Bangun had reportedly taken more passengers that exceeded the boat’s limit.

According to Budi Karya Sumadi, at the day of the tragedy, the KM Sinar Bangun boat was faced with extreme rain conditions with strong winds during its trip to port of Tigaras from the Simanindo port. It is suspected that the boat capsized after being hit by two-meter waves in Lake Toba.

KARTIKA ANGGRAENI