The significant findings of the joint SAR team on Sunday were connected to the suspected crash site of the Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in the waters of the Thousand Islands archipelagic chain.
By
Kompas Team
·5 minutes read
To optimize the search for and rescue of victims of the Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 passenger jet that crashed off the coast of Jakarta, the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation will be expanded on Monday (11/1/2021) to also cover coastal areas.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Efforts have been made to expand the area of the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation to increase the number of findings from that recovered on Sunday (10/1). By 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, 10 bags containing pieces of the fuselage and 16 large portions of the airplane had been recovered. In addition, the operation recovered 10 bags of human remains.
The head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal Bagus Puruhito, said that the coastal locations add to the search area had been decided as a result of the inbound movement of tidal currents towards the coast.
"Our plan is that tomorrow [Monday], we will carry out the operation in the same area, [using] surface level and below surface methods, by slightly expanding the search area [to] coastal areas due to the current [flow] from the sea to the coast," he said.
At the same time, we are also searching for the black boxes with the KNKT
Bagus added that the SAR operation was prioritizing the recovery of the victims’ bodies as well as debris from the plane. "At the same time, we are also searching for the black boxes with the KNKT," said Bagus, referring to the National Transportation Safety Committee.
Black box beacon
The significant findings of the joint SAR team on Sunday were connected to the suspected crash site of the Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in the waters of the Thousand Islands archipelagic chain. The operation had detected the pings emitted from the aircraft’s black boxes, and personnel of the joint SAR mission marked the locations of the plane\'s black boxes to make the search easier.
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto made the remarks after personally observing the SAR operation for Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in the waters of Jakarta’s Thousand Islands regency. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, KNKT chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono, Air Marshal Bagus Puruhito, and Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran also took part in the observation.
Hadi said that the crash site of flight SJ-182 had been located, but he declined to give details on the exact coordinates.
The location where flight SJ-182 is strongly suspected to have crashes is in the waters of the Thousand Islands between Laki Island and Lancang Island. Hadi has ordered the KRI Rigel and several other warships to head to that location. The National Police, the Indonesian Coast and
Sea Guard (KPLP), the Sea Transportation Directorate General, and the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency, as well as other groups are assisting in the Basarnas’ SAR operation.
"At present, all TNI soldiers on site, especially the Navy, are supporting Basarnas in recovering the wreckage from flight SJ-182. We can still take [onboard] small parts. However, for the large pieces we will bring a crane vessel to lift them [out of the water],” Hadi said on Sunday (10/1) afternoon at the integrated command post for the SAR operation, set up at Jakarta International Container Terminal (JITC) 2 in North Jakarta.
Soerjanto Tjahjono said the KNKT, in coordination with the joint SAR team, was focusing on the search for the black boxes. The KNKT planned to deploy three underwater beacon locators aboard the KRI Rigel to facilitate the search.
"The search will commence immediately by divers using portable locators. So, we are concentrating on finding the two black boxes and to identify the parts of the plane that have been found," said Soerjanto.
At 10:10 p.m. on Sunday, the KRI Cucut docked at the JICT integrated command post. Captained by Indonesian Marine Corps Maj. Orri Ronsumbre, the vessel unloaded parts of the plane’s turbines that had been recovered.
"The turbine parts were found near the KRI Rigel using 3D [imaging] sonar," said Orri. The parts were the handed over to Basarnas operations director Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Rasman, who is coordinating the SAR mission.
Victim identification
Identifying the recovered human remains has not produced significant results. The process has been made difficult by the search for the victims’ bodies at the crash site. The head of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, Sr. Comr. Hery Widijatmoko, said that the human remains discovered at the site of the crash were often not in an intact condition. Even so, the joint team was working hard to locate the victims’ bodies.
By Sunday afternoon, seven bags containing human remains had been transported to the National Police Hospital in Kramatjati, East Jakarta. The bags did not contain any intact bodies for identification.
"The team is still trying hard to [recover] the bodies and gather data for identification from the [victims’] families. Most of the bodies are currently in the form of body parts and we will continue to examine them throughout the day,” said Hery, Sunday.
The collection of antemortem data was ongoing to aid in the identification. Hery explained that more data would be needed for the identification process.
Public Information head Brig. Gen. Rusdi Hartono of the National Police’s public relations division said that the DVI team had collected 21 DNA samples from the family members of the victims who were aboard Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182.
Apart from the DNA samples, the team was also gathering fingerprints, dental records, and photographs of the clothes and accessories the victims were last wearing.
The DNA samples from the family members would be useful later for identifying the recovered human remains and body parts. Apart from the DNA samples, the team was also gathering fingerprints, dental records, and photographs of the clothes and accessories the victims were last wearing.
Rusdi asked for the families’ assistance in the identification process. "Fingerprint data from diplomas and other documents, or any information, can help the DVI team in the identification process," he said at a press conference. (VAN/PDS/DIV/FRD)