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Two more Russians sick in Makassar after three deaths
Two Russian technicians working on Indonesia’s jet fighter program were rushed to hospital in Makassar on Tuesday, following the death of three other Russians from an unknown illness on Monday
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wo Russian technicians working on Indonesia’s jet fighter program were rushed to hospital in Makassar on Tuesday, following the death of three other Russians from an unknown illness on Monday.
The pair was admitted to Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital for dizziness and nausea — the same symptoms the three Russians reported before their deaths, a hospital official said.
Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base commander Rear Marsekal Agus Supriatna said that the pair had been rushed to the hospital due to fear that their health would worsen.
A team of Russian doctors arrived in Makassar on Tuesday evening and headed directly to the hospital to check the victims.
The technicians, Andre Zaykay and Andre Spalov, underwent a series of examinations including urine, blood and cardiac tests, hospital medical service division chief Khalik Saleh.
Zaykay and Spalov were admitted at about 10 a.m. and were “not in bad condition”, Khalik said.
“Both complain of dizziness and nausea. They seem to be sleepless. They complained about difficulty sleeping after the death of their three colleagues,” he said.
The bodies of the three Russians who died on Monday were still in the morgue of South Sulawesi Police’s Bhayangkara Hospital.
South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Jhony Waenal Usman said the three Russians had all had the same symptoms: dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing.
He said his office had not been able to confirm their exact cause of death.
The five were part of a 37-member team comprised technicians, mechanics, instructors and inspectors who arrived on Sept. 5 to work on Indonesia’s jet fighter program, which employed Russian-built Sukhoi fighter jets. The jets arrived at the airbase on Sept. 10.
“We’re still waiting for the autopsy results from the police medical team and from an independent
team from Hasanuddin University in Makassar as well as the results from the forensic laboratory on some evidence found on the site,” Jhony said.
The evidence was comprised of drugs that the victims brought with them from Russia and remains of the beverages that they drank and sample liquid from their stomachs.
All the evidence would be sent to the central forensic laboratory in Jakarta due to equipment failure in Makassar, Jhony said.
Three Russians died of the mystery malady on Monday.
Alexander P. Meksandre, 50, was found dead at the airbase barracks at 8:30 a.m., followed by Sergei
Voronin, 55, who was discovered at 10:55 a.m. and Koronov at about 10:40 p.m. Voronin and Koronov died at Stella Maris Hospital in Makassar.
Meanwhile, Air Force Chief Marshall Imam Sufaat said that the assembly work on the two Sukhois would go on despite the death of the three technicians.
“We initially had planned a postponement but we decided to carry on with the work as scheduled,” he was quoted by Antara as saying.
He said the two types of Sukhois — SU-27SKM — which arrived on Friday were to be assembled by 13 technicians.
“The technicians are accompanied by a warranty team, three members of which died,” he said.
He said another Sukhoi would arrive Wednesday.
