Dramatic Search for KM Osela Crew in Bangka Belitung Waters: Captain Safe, Six Still Missing

Pangkalpinang SAR Chief I Made Oka Astawa during the search for the crew of the KM Osela ship which sank in the waters of Gelasa Island, Bangka Belitung, on Friday (15/8/2025) (ANTARA)

PANGKALPINANG - Head of the Pangkalpinang Search and Rescue (SAR) Office, I Made Oka Astawa, said a joint team has deployed 109 personnel and six vessels to search for six crew members of the KM Osela, which sank off Gelasa Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Friday, August 15.

"We will make every effort to find these six missing people," Oka said in a written statement quoted by ANTARA on Wednesday, August 20.

He explained that the search area will be expanded to 3,310 nautical miles (3,310 km). The joint SAR team will use a parallel search pattern (a search utilizing parallel processing capabilities). There will be five search areas and five SAR unit (SRU) teams conducting surface searches.

"Another team will conduct aerial searches," Oka said.

His team has also conducted e-broadcasts and issued warnings to ships passing through the area to encourage them to participate in the search. "If you find any, please contact us," Oka urged.

He added that if the victim is found, he will be evacuated to Depati Hamzah Regional Hospital.

Oka expressed his deepest gratitude to all parties who assisted in this SAR operation, including the Pangkalpinang SAR Office Rescue Team, the USS Belinyu Rescue Team, the Babel Naval Base, the crew of the KN SAR Karna, the crew of the KN SAR 201, the Babel Regional Police's Water Police Directorate, the crew of the KN Belut Laut 406, the crew of the Catamaran 501, the crew of the Water Police Patrol Boat, and the Central Bangka Police.

In addition, the crew of the BO-105/P1102 Helicopter from the Babel Regional Police, the Babel Regional Police's Medical and Health Unit, the Central Bangka Police's Water Police, the Bangka Police's Water Police, the Pangkalpinang Marine and Fisheries Agency (KPLP), the Pangkalpinang Coast Guard (BKK), the Bangka Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Pelindo (Pelindo), the Sekaban Army, local fishermen, and other elements.

Previously, the Pangkalpinang Class B SAR Office received information about the KM Osela, which broke apart due to bad weather and sank in the waters off Karang Mardalena, Gelasa Island, on Friday (August 15th).

The information was received from a fisherman, Afen, on Sunday (August 17th) at 11:27 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB). He reported that at 7:20 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), he found one person caught in his boat's raft, floating safely using a cork float.

The first victim, identified as H, was the captain of the KM Osela. According to him, the boat departed from Tanjungpandan Fisheries Port for Karang Mardalena waters to fish on August 14, 2025, with nine crew members.

Then, on August 15th, 2025, at 4:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), the boat broke apart due to bad weather and immediately sank in the waters off Mardalena, north of Gelasa Island.

On Tuesday (August 19th) evening, the Pangkalpinang SAR Office received information that two more crew members from the KM Osela had been found. The two victims were on board the TB PPKR9 ship on Monday (18/8) and were evacuated to Kabil Pier, Batam, Riau Islands (Kepri).