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Batam boat accident: 6 remain missing
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Race against time -- search team members pull the body of a boat accident victim from Nongsa waters, Batam, Riau Islands, on Friday. (Antara/MN Kanwa)
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joint rescue team is still searching for six people believed to have been aboard a boat that capsized in waters near Nongsa, Batam, Riau Islands.
In his testimony to police investigators, Dodi Faizal, 28, one of the three crew members, said the vessel had been carrying 98 passengers, all unregistered Indonesian migrant workers and their family members.
It sank around 700 meters off Nongsa beach.
Dodi said another crew member, Darius, could not swim, so, it was likely he was one of the six still missing.
He said when a large wave hit the boat, he decided to jump off and swim to the nearest beach to seek help. He was responding to allegations that he abandoned the boat.
Dodi further said that before it capsized, the boat had struck a coral in the waters. When it was on the coral, several male passengers were asked to jump off the boat and push it back into the waters. A large wave suddenly hit the boat, washing away all people on board.
Under police escort, Dodi pinpointed the location of the incident. “I received only Rp 1 million [US$76.17] per trip,” he said on Friday.
Riau Islands Police have named two owners of the boat, Doni and Syukri, both permanent residents of Malaysia, suspects in the case. Another crew member, identified only as Herman, remains at large. (ebf)
