3 Days, Joint SAR Team Still Looking For Missing Fishermen In Buton Waters

The Joint SAR Team is still carrying out the livelihoods of fishermen who are missing in Buton Waters (ANTARA)

The joint SAR team continues the search for a fisherman named La Ami (35) who was reported missing while at sea in the waters of Batu Atas Island, South Buton Regency (Busel), Southeast Sulawesi since three days ago.

"Today the SAR team continues to search for victims. The search operation on the second day started this morning at around 06.00 WITA," said Acting Head of the Kendari Basarnas, Rudi, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, March 21.

He conveyed that his party received a report of the disappearance of the victim on Monday night at around 19:57 WITA, from a Siompu resident named Yamin.

After receiving the report, at 20.15 WITA the rescue team from the Baubau SAR Post was dispatched to the last location where the victim was reported missing using RIB to provide SAR assistance.

Furthermore, Rudi said the rescue team of the Baubau SAR Post covered a distance of approximately 40 nautical miles. After arriving at the location, the team conducted a search at that time, but due to weather conditions, SAR operations were temporarily suspended.

"Last night at 22.30 WITA, the Baubau SAR Post Rescue Team took shelter at Siompu Harbor because of weather conditions that did not allow searches to be carried out at night, so it was continued today," he said.

Rudi explained that the search operation for victims on the second day, which was a resident of Lamaninggara Village, West Siompu District, South Buton, was carried out with a sweeping of 37 square nautical miles from the La Ami location reported missing.

He said the weather was cloudy during the search operation and wave height of 0.5 to 0.75 meters. The elements involved in the search were the Baubau SAR Post rescue team and the victim's family using one RIB unit, six long boats.

Rudi explained that the victim was reported to have gone out to sea since Saturday, March 18 at around 04.00 WITA. However, the victim never returned, even though the habit of the victim returning from fishing was around 16.00 WITA.

Furthermore, on Monday (20/3) at around 12.10 WITA, one of the fishermen found the victim's boat about 30 nautical miles from Lamaninggara Village. The victim's boat was found by a fisherman in the area floating.

"The victim's boat was found unmanned and on a longboat with caught fish is rotten. The search has been carried out by the victim's family, but until this information is received the results are still nil," said Rudi.