REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SIMALUNGUN -- The Indonesian Navy began operating a sonar scanner to search for the MV Sinar Bangun motorboat that sank in the waters of Lake Toba, North Sumatra Province. After the team's departure from Tigaras Port, Simalungun District on Friday, Search and Rescue Team Coordinator Marine Lieutenant Colonel Syamsul Sitohang stated that it had received the sonar scanner from the Navy Headquarters.

The tool will be used in the waters of Lake Toba starting 7:30 a.m. local time until 6 p.m. local time. Utilization of special equipment aims to identify material at the bottom of the lake, including the position of the Sinar Bangun motorboat.

These tools are expected to locate the lost vessel and its passengers, who may have died.

Also read: Tragedy in Lake Toba due to lack of discipline: Luhut

He added that in accordance with the results of the meeting, search and rescue processes of the passengers of MV Sinar Bangun will be conducted in two sectors.

Sector A covers the waters and outskirts of the lake adjacent to Simalungun, while Sector B is spread across the waters closer to Samosir Island.

However, the depth of Lake Toba is one of the main problems, as it is considered quite deep.

"Earlier checks indicated that the depth of the lake is some 400 to 500 meters," he revealed.

According to records, MV Sinar Bangun, which carried a hundred passengers, had reportedly sunk in the waters of Lake Toba, between Simanindo Sub-district, Samosir District, and Tigaras Village, Dolok Pardamean Sub-district, Simalungun District, North Sumatra Province, on Monday at around 5:30 p.m. local time. Currently, the joint team has found 19 survivors and three dead.

Meanwhile, the captain of MV Sinar Bangun survived the incident. He has been secured by the police.

The latest development revealed that the boat carried 206 people while its capacity was only 43 passengers. The captain of MV Sinar Bangun also ignored weather warning issued twice by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Lake Toba is the world's deepest volcanic lake having a depth of 900 meters, spanning a surface area of 1,145 square kilometers. It is a popular tourist destination in North Sumatra.

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