REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SIMALUNGUN -- National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) joint team has prepared to leave the search post for MV Sinar Bangun victims. Earlier, the search for victims of the ship which sank in Lake Toba, North Sumatra has been discontinued since today, July 3.

Cross-agency personnel involved in the search team began packing to leave the Port of Tiga Ras, Simalungun Regency, which became the main post. The joint team consisted of Indonesian Military (TNI), Lantamal (Main Naval Base) I Belawan, National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BPBN), and Polair.

A ground fleet for transporting equipment used for two weeks' search has been prepared in the port complex. Meanwhile, victims family was sowing flowers facilitated Basarnas at the location estimated to be the point of coordinates sunken ship.

MV Sinar Bangun capsized in Lake Toba on last June 18 at around 5 p.m. local time. The latest development revealed that the boat carried 188 people while its capacity was only 43 passengers. Only 22 people have been found, with 19 of them having survived, including the captain of MV Sinar Bangun.

The decision to terminate the search process has been approved by victims’ families in a meeting between Simalungun Government, Basarnas, National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT), and Jasa Marga. KNKT was experiencing difficulties due to the depth of Lake Toba. Team has been conducting a shipwreck investigation at a depth of about 200 meters while the ship sank at a depth around 450 meters.

KNKT could not figure out yet the situation of MV Sinar Bangun. Therefore, it was hard to determine the next steps and equipments needed for evacuation. KNKT would announce the investigation result of the cause of MV Sinar Bangun incident within the next 1,5 months.

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