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Picture of mother, infant sharing life jacket during Selayar accident dismays netizens
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Passengers of KM Lestari Maju are seen floating in waters of the Selayar Islands, Bulukumba regency, South Sulawesi, after the vessel began to sink on July 3. (Courtesy of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency/File)
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picture of a mother sharing a life jacket with her infant child aboard the sinking KM Lestari Maju has gone viral online, revealing another tragic story of the shocking incident that occurred on Tuesday in waters of the Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi.
In the photo, which has also been covered in media reports, the woman is seen holding her child to her chest while the two wear a single orange life jacket. They are pictured standing on the dock of the vessel as it appears to sink.
The picture reportedly captures the final moments shared by Rini Nurianti, 29, and her two-year-old son Abizar Arfan Raqila.
They were among the 35 passengers who died in the incident.
Their tragic story was later recounted by Muhlis, 31, a resident of Selayar regency, who said the woman and the young boy in the photo were his wife and son, kompas.com reported on Thursday.
"[Authorities] found my son in the afternoon, while my wife was found in the evening. They were discovered in two separate locations, which were very far apart," Muhlis said with tears in his eyes.
Abizar's body was found covered in the life jacket at 4 p.m. local time, while Rini's body was found without a life jacket at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
Rini, a contract teacher at a local junior high school, was five-months pregnant at the time, Muhlis said. "We were expecting our second child in November," he said.
Muhlis said he was on the phone with Rini when the incident happened. The phone got cut off suddenly and when Muhlis tried to call Rini back, he could not reach her anymore. (evi)
