REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 17 Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) are still missing after their boat sank in the waters of Johor, Malaysia, on Sunday. Indonesian Consul General in Johor Bahru Haris Nugroho stated in Johor on Wednesday that his side was accompanied by a team of the Task Force for Protection of Indonesian Citizens during a visit to the Search and Rescue (SAR) Post in Tanjung Pengelih, Johor, on July 3, 2018, at 3 p.m. local time.
"The team of the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru was received by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) and IPD (Police) of Kota Tinggi Town. The team received a briefing from the local authorities on the chronology of events leading up to the incident and information on strong ocean currents in recent days," he revealed.
The SAR team has found another unidentified male body after discovering a female victim, Siti Aisyah.
The SAR Post will be open for four days from the first day of having received the report of the sunken boat. However, the post could extend its operational time if deemed necessary or a request is received from the victims' families and the Indonesian consulate general.
Nugroho thanked and lauded the related parties for their assistance, attention, and cooperation in handling the incident.
The current number of victims reached 44, with 25 survivors, two dead, and 17 missing. The survivors were 30-year-old Arsil; Milwan, 24; Pian, 25; Tinus, 24; Panji, 28; Pristin, 25; Mohd. Nasir, 26; Habibul, 27; Supriadi, 34; Hendra, 35; Bartoro, 69; and Agil, 27.
The others were identified as Adi, 25; Riski, 17; Total, 32; Hendri, 32; Isa Ismail, 32; Sukandi, 23; Rumadi, 24; Taiser, 22; Angbar, 22; Jeprianto, 23; Masriadi, 16; Tahri, 29; and Zainal, 25.
Earlier, on late Sunday, a boat, carrying 44 illegal TKI, sank 6.5 nautical miles off Tanjung Punggai, Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia.
The accident occurred at around midnight local time, when the boat, with 44 passengers aboard, including the illegal workers' agent, from Batam was about to enter the Malaysian waters in Tanjung Penawar.
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