JAKARTA - The Malaysian authorities officially stopped the search and rescue operations for victims of the overturned ship in the waters of Pangkor Island, Perak, which transported dozens of Indonesian citizens (WNI) without documents. The SAR operation was declared over on Saturday, May 16 after no additional victims were found.
Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heni Hamidah, said the total number of victims who were successfully found reached 39 people. Of these, 23 people survived and 16 others died.
"Initial information provided by Malaysia based on interviews with the crew of the survivors said that the number of passengers was 37 people, with 14 people declared missing. However, in the search process in the field, the Malaysian SAR authorities found an additional 39 victims," said Heni in his statement, Monday, May 18.
A similar statement was also made by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency or MMEA Perak. The Malaysian maritime authority admitted that the initial data on the number of ship passengers was not entirely accurate.
"Initial information obtained on the first day of the operation stated that the total number of victims was 37. However, this figure is believed to be inaccurate," said the official statement from the Perak MMEA.
The ship carrying dozens of illegal migrants was reported to have sunk on Monday, May 11. The search operation lasted almost a week, involving the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Maritime Police, and the local fishing community.
The 23 Indonesian citizens who managed to survive were known to come from a number of regions in Indonesia, namely Aceh, Banten, Riau Islands, Lampung, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi, and North Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur continues to provide assistance to the victims and the victims' families. The Indonesian Embassy also coordinates with Malaysian authorities regarding the process of identifying the bodies and facilitating consular services for affected Indonesian citizens.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed its appreciation to the SAR team and the Malaysian Maritime Police for their search and rescue efforts during the operation.
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