One person died while another one went missing after two fishing boats collided in the waters of Pangkalan Brandan in Langkat regency, North Sumatra.
The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Langkat Police spokesperson Yasir Rahman said.
“At that time, the KM Jaring Kembung fishing boat [traveling] from Tanjung Pura, Langkat regency, carrying four crewmen, was using fishing nets in the area. Then from around 1 nautical miles, another vessel, KM Deli Jaya, appeared from Medan, carrying 23 crew members. It sailed straight to the direction of KM Jaring Kembung,” Yasir told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He said that upon noticing the presence of KM Deli Jaya, the four crewmen of KM Jaring Kembung tried to no avail to send warning signals to the incoming vessel before the crash.
The collision damaged KM Jaring Kembung, causing the four crewmen to jump overboard.
“KM Deli Jaya crew members tried to help the four victims, but only managed to rescue two people,” Yasir said.
One crewman named Irfan, 40 years old, was found dead later, while 25-year-old Johan was reported missing.
A Medan search and rescue (SAR) team deployed eight personnel with water rescue equipment to search for Johan, but as of Thursday they were unable to find him.
Head of the SAR team, Toto Mulyono, said the rescue effort was hampered by bad weather in the area of the accident.
“It's currently raining at the crash location and the waves are quite high. The bad weather complicates our efforts to find the missing victim,” Toto told the Post. (nal)
