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Tugboat sinks, two still missing
A two day search for the missing crew members of the Abadi 228 tugboat in the Siak River has been hampered by thick fog, as rescuers also face difficulties excavating the tugboat from the water
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A two day search for the missing crew members of the Abadi 228 tugboat in the Siak River has been hampered by thick fog, as rescuers also face difficulties excavating the tugboat from the water.
"It's due to the depth of the river and the weight of the 50 ton tugboat," Chief of Bukit Raya Police First Insp. Edi Yasman said when contacted Saturday.
Edi said two excavators were being used to lift the sunken tugboat. Three divers are also searching for the two missing people, Widoyo and Zalisman, who may still be inside the boat, he said.
While no clear explanation about the cause of the accident has emerged, there was an indication it was due to negligence, Edi said.
The tugboat's captain, Eddy, and five other members of the crew who survived the accident are currently at Bukit Raya Police precinct for questioning.
Eddy said the tugboat set off Friday morning from Pusako region, Bukit Raya sub-district, headed for Tanjung Balai Karimun after it finished unloading gravel and sand from the barge at PT Wahana Lestari's warehouse.
"The weather was just fine then," Eddy said.
After half an hour of sailing, thick cloud covered Siak River, hampering his sight, he said.
"I directed to the left and was surprised to find that the tugboat was very close to the riverbank. I promptly changed direction sharply to the right and the tugboat rolled and it filled with water," he said.
While the tugboat was rolling, its machine had returned to a normal position, and the boat usually stabilized quickly in these instances, Eddy said.
"On the contrary, it went down and down, and sunk in only seconds. It might have been because of the river's flow or the barge it was pulling," Eddy added.
When the tugboat began sinking, he and four other members of the crew were on the deck of the boat and escaped easily. The three other crew members -- Taklai, Zalisman and Widoyo -- were resting in a room inside the tugboat and only Taklai, the tugboat's machine chamber manager, was able to escape.
Taklai said he was directing Zalisman, the machine operator, and Widoyo, the helmsman, to escape when water began filling the boat.
"I thought they were following behind me but they were not with me when I reached the water's surface," he said.
The search will continue until the two missing people are found, Edi Yasman said.
