Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Rescuers in Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan province, continued their search on Wednesday to locate 33 other fishermen still untraceable since their boats capsized after being struck by a giant wave in conditions extreme weather on July 13.

“We have decided to extend our search efforts for the sake of the humanitarian mission for three more days until Friday,” said the head of the West Kalimantan National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Yopi. Haryadi.

Efforts to locate and evacuate the missing fishermen are supported by a joint team of staff from several agencies, he noted, adding that as of Wednesday morning, 83 fishermen survived the marine accident.

The Basarnas have recorded that rescuers have so far evacuated 22 bodies from the waters of West Kalimantan province, while 33 others remain missing since the incident at sea a week ago, he said. he points out.

The 138 fishermen were fishing aboard 18 vessels when the giant wave suddenly hit them. Most of them were spotted in the waters of Muara Jungkat, he noted.

Medics from the West Kalimantan Police Disaster Identification Unit (DVI) are still identifying several bodies of the deceased before handing them over to their families for burial, he said. .

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Indonesian fishermen have repeatedly experienced fatal accidents at sea. In May this year, for example, around 20 sailors from the Indonesian fishing vessel KM Bandar Nelayan 188 were rescued from Australian waters.

They all survived the marine accident after a Japanese fishing boat rescued them from the waters west of Perth in Western Australia on May 13. Subsequently, 19 of them were repatriated to the island of Bali by HMAS Anzac of the Royal Australian Navy on May 21.

The fishing boat left the Indonesian island of Benoa port in Bali on April 8, 2021 for a fishing spot, but its engine room was reportedly submerged in sea waters on May 13 at coordinates of 31 ° 10, 70 ‘S 102 ° 16.32’ E.

The ill-fated fishing vessel was detected approximately 1,520 nautical miles from the Indonesian office in Basarnas-Bali, or approximately 697 nautical miles from Perth in Western Australia.

The owner of KM Bandar Nelayan 188 reported his vessel’s state of emergency on May 13, but due to her greater distance from Perth, the Basarnas Authority coordinated with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC ) Australian.

Shortly after, JRCC authorities sent emergency messages to nearby ships and deployed a plane to confirm the position of KM Bandar Nelayan 188 and her crew on board, it revealed.

After locating the ill-fated fishing vessel, Australian authorities dropped two rubber dinghies to rescue the sailors.

On May 15, at around 7 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), Japanese authorities informed Australian JRCC authorities that FV Fukuseki Maru 15 had rescued the 20 Indonesian sailors and transferred them to the HMAS Anzac.

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