SAR Team Sisir Medan Extreme Mount Bulusaraung, Find Wallet to Smart Watch Victim

MAROS - The Search and Rescue (SAR) team for the ATR 42-500 plane crash on the Yogyakarta-Makassar route found a number of items suspected to belong to the victims of the plane crash in the border area of Maros and Pangkep Regencies, South Sulawesi.

The Head of the Makassar Class A Search and Rescue Office as the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), Muhammad Arif Anwar, said the findings were obtained until the third day of the SAR operation in the Bulusaraung Mountain area.

"Until the third day of the operation, the joint SAR team managed to find a number of items belonging to the victim as well as parts of the plane in the search area on Mount Bulusaraung," said Arif in Makassar, Antara, Tuesday, January 20.

The findings were obtained from the results of intensive ground team screening on the extreme path between the mountain peak and Pos 9 climbing route. The steep and difficult search area requires the team to work with high caution.

The items found included personal documents, wallets, notebooks, and electronic items such as smartwatches. In addition, the SAR team also found a number of aircraft parts, such as lifebuoys and fire signals, around the area suspected to be near the aircraft's head.

Arif said that all the aircraft parts and parts that were found had been secured, recorded, and marked their coordinates according to standard operating procedures. The findings are an important clue to narrow the search area and determine the next steps in the evacuation process.

"The field at the scene is very steep and high risk. The search process is carried out with special techniques, including rapping and opening paths, so it takes time, precision, and strong coordination between elements," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Rear Admiral TNI Mohammad Syafii, appreciated the hard work of all the joint SAR teams who continued to carry out operations in the midst of limitations and extreme natural conditions.

According to him, the discovery of the victim's belongings and parts of the aircraft showed that the joint SAR team had been very close to the crucial points of the search.

"This is the result of hard work, discipline, and collaboration of all elements in the field," said Syafii.

He added that the main challenges in the SAR operation still came from weather and natural conditions, such as thick fog, steep terrain, and rapid weather changes, which often hindered the movement of teams, both by land and air routes.

However, Syafii ensured that the search and evacuation operations would continue to be carried out professionally and measured by prioritizing the safety of all personnel until the entire process could be completed.