TEMPO.CO, Malang - A body, allegedly, of a Japanese diver who went missing in Bali in February, was found stranded in Pulau Sempu beach, Malang Regency, yesterday.
Head of Water Police Unit of Malang Police, Adj. Com. Slamet Prayitno estimated the body to be in her 30s.
"We temporarily suspect the body is the Japanese citizen who went missing while diving in Bali," said Slamet at Sjaiful Anwar hospital, Malang, earlier today.
The body arrived at the mortuary at 1.50 a.m. It was no longer intact with left wrist, right wrist, right ankle, left ankle, and head missing. It did, however, still wear a black diving suit with an oxygen cylinder holder in the back.
The assumption that the body is the Japanese diver is based on the characteristics mentioned by the Bali police. The body is allegedly to be Shoko Takahashi, one of the seven Japanese drivers who went missing in mid February in the sea near Nusa Lembongan, Bali.
Slamet said the body was firs found stuck in the coral reef in Watu Nyonya by a fisherman on Friday.
In February 2014, seven Japanese divers went missing in the sea near Nusa Lembongan, Bali. The divers were reportedly washed away by the strong undersea current. After a four-day search, five divers were found alive and one diver, Ritsuko Miyata, was found dead. Shoko Takahashi remained missing since.
Takahashi, 35, was from Morioka, Iwate prefecture. She was married to an Indonesian man and stayed in Bali.
ABDI PURMONO
