Vessel Carrying 5 Foreigners Stranded on Bengkalis Island, Riau

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A vessel carrying five foreign nationals was stranded on Bengkalis Island in Riau Province last Thursday (Feb. 20), a rescue worker said on Saturday evening.

"Several days ago we got contact through radio networks that a vessel was carried away (by sea currents) and stranded on Bengkalis Island near the (plantation) area of PT MAS (Meskom Agro Sarimas). The vessel is a kind of small yacht with five foreign nationals aboard," spokesman for the Bengkalis Search and Rescue (SAR) team Ari said.

A joint team of rescue, police, immigration, medical and quarantine officers was heading for the scene to evacuate the five foreign nationals, he said.

"It is not yet known exactly where the vessel and its passengers come from," he said.

The five foreign nationals consist of three men and two women. One of the men is a senior citizen, he said.

The cause of the vessel being stranded is still unclear. as the joint team still has to investigate it, he said.

While the foreign nationals were stranded they received foods and drinks from PT MAS. They are still aboard the vessel since they still await rescue workers to evacuate them, he said.

The rescue officers also keep close watch over the possibility of the five foreign nationals contracting coronavirus infection. "We along with other members of the team are still in the field. For further information, we still await the result of check by the team in the field," he said.

ANTARA