BAD WEATHER HAMPERS SEARCH FOR 10 MISSING SHIP CREW MEMBERS

Bengkulu, March 11 (ANTARA) - Bad weather hampered search efforts to rescue 10 missing crew members of MV Usaha Muda I which sank in Ipuh waters, Muko Muko District, Bengkulu Province.

"It took us six hours to sail from Bengkulu city to Ipuh, while normally it takes only four hours," First Lt. Nano Harsono, commander of the naval ship Enggano, said here Thursday.

MV Usaha Muda I sank in Ipuh waters on Monday (March 8) at 7.15 pm Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB). The Enggano found two survivors identified as Anto (24) and Panji (27) on Tuesday.

"We found them in weak condition. After searching until Wednesday (March 10) at 6 pm WIB, we decided to return to Bengkulu," he said.

The search efforts would be resumed on Thursday at 11 am WIB with the assistance of local fishermen and naval monitoring posts at Putri Hijau, Teramang and Ipuh.
The Enggano which had been searching for the missing victims of Usaha Muda I since Tuesday had combed Ipuh waters as far as 15 nautical miles.

MV Usaha Muda I had sailed from Teluk Bayur seaport, Padang (West Sumatra), to Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, but it sank in Ipuh waters, around six miles from the coast.

Local fishermen reported about the ill-fated MV Usaha Muda to the naval monitoring posts in Ipuh, Seblat and Teramang Jaya.

The 186-GT Usaha Muda carried 500 tons of cement and ceramics and had a crew of 12 on board when it sank reportedly due to strong winds and huge waves.

According to the Navy's data, the ship sank at a location of 03 37'00" southern latitude, and 101 51' 00" eastern longitude.

The missing crew members are Buya (captain), Sefinul, Samir, Yan, Eko, Putra, Iskandar, Syukur, Ocha and Mamat.