JAKARTA: (Bernama) All 26 crew members aboard the cargo ship KM Prima Sentosa, which caught fire off Indonesia's Bengkulu province on Friday (Oct 16) night, have been rescued.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said a joint search and rescue team arrived at the scene at around 2am local time on Saturday (Oct 17) and completed the evacuation in about two hours.
"During the evacuation, 13 crew members were found aboard Seroja XX, which was passing near the scene and also assisted in the rescue operation.
"Meanwhile, the remaining crew members were found near KM Prima Sentosa, having chosen to stay there for fear of being swept away by currents if they moved further from the ship,” the agency said in a statement.
Basarnas said all 26 crew members were subsequently evacuated in stages and taken to Pulau Baai Port in Bengkulu for further assistance.
Meanwhile, state news agency Antara reported that all crew members, comprising 23 Indonesians and three foreign nationals, had arrived safely at the port, where they underwent registration and medical examinations. - Bernama
