SAR Evacuates Rohingya Immigrants Whose Ship Is Karam In Aceh Waters

SAR personnel at KN Kresna 232. BETWEEN/HO-Humas Basarnas Banda Aceh

BANDA ACEH - Banda Aceh National SAR Agency (Basarnas) deployed the KN Kresna 232 ship to evacuate Rohingya immigrants because their ship sank in the waters of West Aceh Regency.

"We dispatched KN Kresna 232 to evacuate victims of the Rohingya ethnic immigrant ship accident in West Aceh waters," said Head of Banda Aceh Basarnas Ibnu Harris Al Hussain as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, March 20.

Previously, he said, fishermen saw the ship carrying Rohingya immigrants sinking in the sea. The point where the ship sank was about 16 nautical miles from Suak Ulee Beach, West Aceh Regency, Wednesday, at around 10:00 WIB.

Furthermore, fishermen reported to the local police for search and rescue assistance or SAR. The request for SAR assistance was forwarded to the Banda Aceh Basarnas.

"From this information, we dispatched a SAR team to evacuate ship passengers using KN Kresna," said Ibnu Harris.

The SAR ship departed from Ulee Lheue Port, Banda Aceh at 18.45 WIB and is expected to arrive at the point where the ship was last seen Thursday (21/3), at 00.45 WIB.

"The weather forecast at the point of the shipwreck is cloudy, wind speed 21 knots, and wave height up to 1.5 meters. We do not yet know the number of victims who were evacuated," he said.

Previously, about 100 Rohingya immigrants were reported to have been victims of an accident after their ship sank in the waters of Samatiga District, West Aceh Regency or 16 nautical miles from the mainland.

Samatiga sub-district head Mimi Al Nur said based on information received, the hundreds of Rohingya ethnic immigrants were on a voyage to Australia.

"On the voyage, their ship capsized. Six Rohingya immigrants were rescued by fishermen, while others were still at sea," he said.