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Police hunt for Zahro Express owner over fatal fire
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Grieving – A relative of a Zahro Express victim cannot hold back her tears as she waits for the body of her loved one at R. Said Sukanto Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Jakarta on Jan.4. (Antaran/Puspa Perwitasari)
T
he Jakarta Police are pursuing the owner of the Zahro Express vessel, on which 23 passengers lost their lives in an onboard fire on Sunday, for questioning, an official has said.
“An investigation is under way and we are still searching for the owner of the boat,” Jakarta Water Police director Sr. Comr. Hero Bachtiar said on Thursday.
Hero did not provide details on what information investigators wanted to extract from the boat owner, but Kompas.com previously quoted him as saying that the police wanted to ask about boat safety and matters related to its operation.
The police earlier said they had been unable to locate the boat owner at his house in North Jakarta.
The police have named the boat's captain, Muhammad Nali, a suspect, charging him with negligence as he had set sail despite the vessel being unseaworthy. Police investigators further revealed that only 100 people had been listed on the boat's passenger manifest while in fact it carried a lot more passengers. If found guilty, Nali could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment, they said.
The Transportation Ministry has also fired the Muara Angke portmaster for alleged negligence in controlling the boat's safety.
The Zahro Express caught fire and exploded on Sunday morning while sailing to Tidung Island in Thousand Islands regency from Muara Angke Port, killing 23 people on board. One hundred and thirty passengers survived the incident. (ebf)
