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Psychologists provided to support families of Zahro Express victims
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Grieving: Muhidin (left), the husband of Ai Kusminar, a passenger of the Zahro Express who remains missing, waits for information on the whereabouts of his wife at their house in Sukaraya, Bekasi, West Java, on Dec. 2. Muhidin and his son, Iwan Ridwansyah (center) survived the ferry explosion on its way from Muara Angke Port, North Jakarta, to Tidung Island, Thousand Islands. (Antara/Risky Andrianto)
T
he Jakarta Police have provided psychologists from Raden Said Soekanto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, to support and counsel families grieving loved ones who died in the Zahro Express ferry incident.
Jakarta Police psychology division head Adj. Sr. Comr. Hary Prasetya said on Tuesday at least 10 psychologists had been deployed to the hospital where 22 out of 23 bodies of dead passengers were being kept for forensic identification.
“We are here to accompany families who have come to check the unidentified bodies that might be a family member,” Hary said, adding that the psychologists were ready to deal with victims’ family members becoming traumatized.
“A sudden incident like this normally creates deep trauma [to families of the victims]. We want to help them as much as possible to get back to normal life,” Hary said.
The Zahro Express experienced a fatal accident on Sunday morning when it was traveling from Muara Angke Port in North Jakarta to Tidung Island in Thousand Islands. Reportedly, the vessel’s engine room caught fire before it exploded, killing 23 passengers onboard.
The Transportation Ministry said on Monday 130 passengers survived.
Authorities are probing the cause of the incident. Initial findings showed that the Zahro Express had been traveling with more passengers than that recorded on its passenger list, creating suspicion the vessel was overcapacity.
The Jakarta Police have named the boat’s captain, Mohammad Nali, a suspect in the case. (ebf)
