Rescuers found the bodies on Tuesday of two people missing after an Indonesian ferry consumed by fire sank with investigators and journalists on board.
”The bodies of the two policemen have been found about one hour apart this morning,” said Hera, a staff member at the Tanjung Priok Harbour Ferry Disaster Coordination Centre.
The policemen and a reporter disappeared when the Levina I ferry sank on Sunday near the Tanjung Priok harbour in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
A television cameraman had already died in hospital following the sinking.
They had boarded the vessel, which caught fire on Thursday, killing scores of people, to inspect the remnants of the listing wreck.
It had been towed towards the harbour from the site of the fire about 60 nautical miles away.
The death toll from the initial fire rose to 50 by Tuesday after two bodies were found late on Monday afternoon, said Rotman, an official at Tanjung Priok.
The total number of confirmed dead following the fire and sinking stands at 53. Estimates put the number of missing at between 50 and 100.
At least four navy vessels continued to comb waters east of where the ferry caught fire, Rotman added.
The precise number of people on the ship when it caught fire remains unclear but estimates suggest it was more than 350.
About 250 were rescued, most after jumping into the sea.
However, rescuers fear many passengers may have been trapped on the burning ship.
Police have detained the vessel’s skipper and first officer on suspicion of negligence and making false declarations in official documents.
The Tanjung Priok harbour master, suspended from his posting shortly after the ferry accident, has been questioned by the transport ministry but has yet to be declared a police suspect.
The government has already revoked the ferry operator’s permit for declaring fewer passengers on its manifest than it was actually carrying.
Police officer Frederick Kalembang said that one of the ferry’s cargo agents had joined the list of suspects detained over the incident.
A recent spate of air, sea and rail accidents in Indonesia has been blamed on the lax enforcement of safety regulations, poor maintenance and a lack of investment in transport infrastructure.
Ferries are a crucial link between the archipelago nation’s 17 000 islands and frequently carry more people than officially acknowledged. – Sapa-AFP