Jakarta Boat Capsizing: Search Continues for Missing Taiwanese amid High Waves

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The search for a missing Taiwanese national, Shih-Yi Chang, continued amid high waves on Wednesday, two days after the passenger boat he was on capsized in the Rambut Island waters off Jakarta's Seribu Islands or Thousand Islands.

The high waves hampered the search and rescue operation that had entered the third day, Head of Jakarta's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Desiana Kartika Bahari revealed.

"On Tuesday, our divers could still dive at about 1.25 meters below the surface, but the diving operation was difficult as the visibility was only one meter," she remarked.

As of Wednesday noon, Shih-Yi Chang was not yet found, while the waves in the Seribu Islands waters reached 1.25 to 2.5 meters, she said.

The rescuers focused their search mission on the surface of the sea based on the coordinates given to them, she remarked, adding that they were divided into four teams.

ANTARA earlier reported that the missing Taiwanese national boarded the vessel MV Pari Kudus, which was carrying 32 passengers and three crew members.

Agung Priambodo, an official at the Basarnas-Jakarta Office, said that 31 passengers and three crew members of MV Pari Kudus survived the accident.

The passenger boat, which was headed to Mutiara Beach in North Jakarta from Asha Resort on Payung Island in Seribu Islands District, capsized in the Rambut Island waters on Monday, he stated.

"The vessel's passenger manifest listed 10 foreign nationals and 22 Indonesian citizens. Five were Chinese nationals, four were Taiwanese, and one was South Korean," Priambodo added.

ANTARA

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