The body of PMI Erawati, a victim of the Hong Kong fire, arrived in Malang

The coffin of Indonesian migrant worker (PMI), Erawati, who was a victim of a fire in an apartment in Hong Kong, headed to a funeral home in Dampit District, Malang Regency, East Java, Tuesday (23/12/2025) night. (ANTARA)

MALANG - The Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Ministry (KP2MI) handed over the body of Indonesian migrant worker (PMI), Erawati (37), from Dampit, Malang Regency, East Java, who died in a fire in an apartment in Hong Kong to the family, Tuesday, December 23 night.

"We, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered the body of the late Erawati to the family. This is a difficult task because it is to deliver Indonesian migrant workers back to their families in a dead state," said the Director General of Empowerment of the Ministry of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, Muh Fachri, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, December 24.

He said the fire incident that claimed the life of the PMI victim was a tragedy for the Indonesian nation.

Because, he continued, the PMI are family fighters and become part of the driving force of the nation's economy.

Therefore, the presence of the central government at the funeral home is part of the form of the state's presence as well as paying tribute to the late Erawati.

"We convey the deepest condolences from the Minister of Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers for the death of Mrs. Erawati in the fire disaster at an apartment in Hong Kong on November 26, 2025," he said.

His party ensured that it would also provide assistance until Erawati's body was buried in a cemetery not far from his residence, on Wednesday.

On that occasion, Fachri conveyed that the government had provided assistance to the victims through heirs with a nominal of around Rp. 20 million.

"Based on the documents, he is a PMI who is procedural, still active. Earlier, the information from PMI friends after checking the visa and passport is still active," he said.

In addition, he stated that in addition to Erawati's body, as of today there were four other PMI bodies that had arrived in Indonesia.

The details are three bodies at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, and two others including Erawati arrived via Juanda Airport, Sidoarjo, East Java.

"The total number of victims who died was nine bodies. The repatriation process from December 21, one body arrived, December 23, there were five bodies, December 24, and finally on December 25, another arrived," he said.