Two Mariners Killed While Trying to Rescue Fishermen
On Tuesday, two crewmembers of the Indonesian product tanker Angelia 2 were killed as they attempted to rescue the crew of a fishing vessel. Several others were injured, and the captain of the fishing boat remains missing.
The fishing vessel (unnamed in local media reports) was under way Tuesday night when it suffered the loss of ship's service power, according to survivors. In dark, cloudy conditions, "we could not see anything," said crewmember Samsul, speaking to Kompas media. He and a colleague, Irwansyah, kept way on at a reduced speed while attempting to make repairs. The master was asleep belowdecks.
Sometime after 1900 hours, Irwansyah shouted a warning, followed shortly after by an impact: the boat had struck the hull of the Angelia 2 amidships. Samsul said that he quickly abandoned ship and made for a float thrown over by the tanker’s crew. Shortly after, in a brave attempt to help the survivors, several crewmembers of the Angelia boarded the fishing vessel. The fishing boat exploded after the rescuers went aboard, and two tanker crewmembers, identified as Marten and Tedorus, were killed in the blast. Several others suffered burns, including Irwansyah: graphic photos provided by local SAR authorities show severe injuries to his left leg.
The captain of the fishing vessel was not rescued from the wreck, and remains missing; the Angelia 2 diverted to the port of Kendari, where local rescue agency SAR Kendari provided a medevac and brought the injured crewmembers to a hospital.