Diver dies searching for Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea
The head of the Indonesian Navy's search unit said the diver died from lack of oxygen while diving for plane debris on the seabed.
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| Diver Syachrul Anto. Photo: Facebook. |
The incident occurred at 4 p.m. on November 2 when diver Syachrul Anto, 48, failed to return to the surface even though the search operation for the day had stopped due to darkness, according toChannel News Asia. Head of the diving team Bayu Wardoyo said the victim's body was brought ashore at 9:30 p.m.
"Syachrul was immediately taken to Koja Hospital but doctors confirmed that the victim had died. He will be taken to a funeral home in Surabaya," Wardoyo said.
Syachrul previously participated in search and rescue operations during the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Palu in late September and the crash of Air Asia Flight QZ8501 in 2014. "He asked me to take him to the airport two days ago after returning from Palu, borrowed my diving equipment and went to the search area for JT610 in Tanjung Priok... I will always remember his smile and kindness," said Yosep Safrudin, a friend of Syachrul.
The head of the Indonesian Navy's search and rescue unit, Colonel Isswarto, said the diver may have died from lack of oxygen. "He was a volunteer with the national search and rescue agency Basarnas," Isswarto said. Basarnas is investigating the incident.
A Lion Air plane departing from Jakarta crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff on October 29.Basarnas believes thatAll 189 people on board, including 178 adults, two infants, one child and eight crew members, were killed.
There are currently about 52 divers involved in the search operation. The divers search in pairs and they surface after a maximum of 28 minutes.Although the sea area where the plane crashed is only about 35 meters deep, the search operation is facing many difficulties due to strong ocean currents and large waves.
