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Monument to victims of KM Sinar Bangun tragedy unveiled at Lake Toba
The monument, which cost Rp 4 billion (US$278,352) to build, was unveiled on Thursday, May 2, by the Simalungun regency administration and has attracted attention for its unique design.
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People visit a new monument built to remember the victims of the KM Sinar Bangun tragedy at Tigaras Port, near Lake Toba, South Sumatra. (JP /Apriadi Gunawan)
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monument of KM Sinar Bangun, a vessel that sank, killing 164 people on board, while crossing Lake Toba in Simalungun regency, North Sumatra, has been unveiled and has been visited by tourists and mourners alike.
The monument, which cost Rp 4 billion (US$278,352) to build, was unveiled on Thursday, May 2, by the Simalungun regency administration and has attracted attention for its unique design.
Simalungun Regent Jopinus Ramli Saragih said the monument was open free of charge so it could be visited by the public, in particular the families of the victims.
“We built the monument to show our love for the families and the victims,” Jopinus said Friday, adding that the 164 names of the victims were inscribed on the monument.
KM Sinar Bangun sank in Lake Toba on June 18, 2018. The bodies of 161 of the 164 people pronounced dead were never found. Only 21 people survived the accident.
The monument is a transparent miniature of the vessel, measuring 9 by 3.5 meters wide and 2.7 m tall, and has been placed atop a black plinth at Tigaras Port, overlooking Lake Toba. According to the architect Yori Antar, the design was unique, with the transparent structure representing the flight of the victims' souls into the eternal, while the black plinth represented mourning. The transparent materials mean that it blends with the clouds and sky during the day.
“It also shines at night and looks very stylish,” Yori said on Friday.
