Resque Team Finds 17 Indonesian Victims Of Sunken Oryong 501

Jakarta, Dec 18 (Antara) -- The rescue team deployed to trace victims of sunken fishing vessel Oryong 501 found 17 of the 35 members of the Indonesian crew, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said. "At least 17 of the 35 Indonesian victims were discovered. While 14 of them died, the remaining three are alive. The team is still searching for the other 18 Indonesian crew members," the acting director general for Indonesian People`s Protection and Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, stated here on Thursday. Iqbal added that the South Korean government was still searching for the victims of Oryong 501 that sank in Bering Strait, but their efforts were being hampered by the bad weather in the region. "The South Korea team first said that the search operation would be carried out for three days. They then extended the period due to bad weather," he explained. He further noted that the governments of South Korea and Indonesia will discuss how long the search would be extended for and whether to deploy an additional rescue team. Moreover, the rescue efforts will also involve the governments of both Russia and the U. S., including the deployment of 15 ships and an aircraft. "The diameter of the search area is being expanded. Besides, 15 ships and an aircraft are deployed as part of the efforts, whereas only five ships were involved in the search operation earlier," Iqbal remarked. Furthermore, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi met with the head of the company that owns Oryong 501. "During the meeting with Sojo Industries, the minister supported the extension of the search period. She asked the officer concerned to handle the living and dead victims appropriately," he affirmed. The directorate also visited the families of the Indonesian crew and informed them about the latest developments with regard to the sunken ship and their rights. The victims` families will receive their insurance claims following the accident. However, the ministry does not have information of the total insurance the families will receive. Oryong 501 sank in Bering Strait at midnight on December 1. The 60 crew members on the ship included persons from Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines and Russia.