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Rescuers scramble to find BTS ship missing in Papua
A landing craft transport (LCT) ship carrying 12 people and equipment for base transceiver stations (BTS) lost contact two days after sailing from Timika, Central Papua to Yahukimo, Papua Highland.
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The Indonesian Navy's Third Fleet Armada deploys the KRI Teluk Lada and Yapero maritime security patrol (patkamla) boat on July 22, 2024, to assist the search and rescue operation for the Cita XX landing craft transport (LCT), which lost contact during its trip from Timika, Central Papua, to Yahukimo, Papua Highlands. (Antara/Handout/Indonesian Navy's Third Fleet Armada public relations office)
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joint search and rescue team is still scrambling to look for a cargo ship carrying equipment to build communication towers that has been missing since last week during its sail in Papua.
The missing vessel, the Cita XX landing craft transport (LCT), set sail on July 15 from Timika, Central Papua, and was scheduled to arrive in Yahukimo, Papua Highlands, on July 18 to set up base transceiver stations (BTS) and other infrastructure under the Communications and Information Ministry. Twelve people were aboard the vessel when it departed from Timika.
But the ship went missing two days later after its last contact with another LCT passing nearby on July 16, according to a statement from the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Tuesday.
The office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in Timika received a report of lost contact on Friday. Basarnas responded by launching a search and rescue operation a day later. On Sunday, four more rescuers and 10 Indonesian Navy personnel joined the operation, using a Navy ship to trace the Cita XX’s route.
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The operation was still ongoing as of Tuesday, with the Navy deploying another ship, the KRI Teluk Lada and the Air Force deploying a surveillance aircraft to help look for the missing LCT from the air.
“We are planning to use cameras from the aircraft in the search operation so we can look at suspected Cita XX whereabouts,” Basarnas wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
“But the air team is still currently on standby at the Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika due to rainy and foggy weather,” the agency continued, saying that the team would take off once the weather improved.
The agency added that it was unclear what caused the ship to lose contact.
The government is pushing to complete its multi-trillion-rupiah project to build 5,200 BTS towers across the country, with 1,200 towers still under construction. Around 500 telecommunication towers are located across Papua island, where construction has faced challenges amid the rising tension between security forces and armed rebel groups. (kuk)
