Searches For LCT Ships Transporting Materials BTS And 12 Missing Crew Members In Papua Are Blocked By Weather

The Indonesian Air Force's Super Puma Helicopter is on standby to search for the LCT ship carrying BTS material that lost contact on the way from Timika to Yahukimo Regency. ANTARA/HO/SAR Timika.

The search for the Landing Craft Tank (LCT) ship or the tank landing ship, Cita XX, which lost contact in Papua, was hampered due to unfavorable weather conditions. "It is true that the search for LCT ships carrying BTS development materials cannot be maximized due to unfriendly weather," said Head of the Timika Search and Rescue Office I Wayan Suyatna in a written statement in Timika, Thursday, July 25, confiscated by Antara.

Suyatna said that in the search process, Boeing 737-200 surveillance aircraft and Puma helicopters belonging to the Indonesian Air Force had been alerted in Timika.

Apart from air, searches were also carried out by sea by deploying ships belonging to the Indonesian Navy and Basarnas. Search at sea in addition to combing the waters from Timika to Asmat and vice versa, it was also carried out to Arafura waters.

However, until the sixth day since the search operation on Saturday, July 20, there has been no significant progress.

Kapal jenis LCT Cita XX yang membawa 12 ABK serta mengangkut material BTS, tower, power, dan VSAT untuk penyediaan sinyal 4G BAKTI Kominfo itu hilang kontak dalam perjalanan dari Timika, Kabupaten Mimika, Papua Tengah ke Lokpon, Kabupaten Yahukimo, Papua Pegunungan sejak Jumat 19 Juli.

"The names of the LCT Cita XX crew members who were headed by Junaidi were Dedi Irawan Mualim, M Arif Efendi, Haikal, Rusli, Agiera, Nimrot, Lukman Hakim, Samsudin, Asmoro, Suherman, and Alhakim," said I Wayan Suyatna.