“Humanitarian operations are more important and of higher priority so we’ve canceled the Dharma Samudera Day ceremony to focus on the search and rescue [operations],” Yudo said in a media statement issued on Sunday.

Dharma Samudera Day commemorates the Battle of Arafura Sea on Jan. 15, 1962, in which Cdre. Yosaphat Sudarso was killed when his fast torpedo boat KRI Macan Tutul was sunk by a Dutch destroyer.

Several Navy ships and personnel were to be deployed to Lampa Strait in Natuna regency, Riau Islands, for the ceremony scheduled for Friday.

Yudo also ordered all Navy personnel and elements from all fleets to move swiftly in conducting SAR efforts for the ill-fated aircraft, a Boeing 737-500 which took off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, and was heading for Supadio International Aiport in Pontianak.

Sriwijaya said in a statement that 40 adults, seven children and three babies were on board the flight. There were six active crew and another six crew as passengers, the airline added.

The Navy vessels deployed in the SAR operations are the KRI Teluk Gilimanuk 531 landing ship tank, KRI Kurau 856 and KRI Cucut 866 patrol boats, KRI Parang 647 fast missile boat, KRI Tjiptadi 381 antisubmarine warfare corvette, KRI Rigel 933 research vessel, KRI John Lie 358 (Panther) multirole light frigate, KRI Bontang 907 (Bell) tanker, KRI RE Martadinata 331 and KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai 332 Sigma 10514 frigates, KRI Malahayati 362 Fatahillah-class corvette, KRI Leuser 924 oceangoing tugboat, and the TD Galunggung and TD Malabar tugboats, the Navy said in its statement.

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