Dumai, Riau Island (ANTARA News) - Dumai Express 5 carrying dead passengers of sunken MV Dumai Express 10, had to turn back because one of the bodies should have been left in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

"Dumai Express 5 left at 6 a.m local time carrying 15 dead passengers, but after an hour of sailing a phone call came from the family of one dead passengers asking the ship to return to Tanjung Balai Karimun to leave their dead relative there," Dumai Express Group operations director Jailani said in Dumai Tuesday.

He said the ship had to sail back to Tanjung Balai Karimun to hand over the dead passenger in question.

Jailani said that two ships carried the dead victims of MV Dumai Express 10, namely Trisula of the Karimun harbor master that carried 96 survivors, and Dumai Express 5 carrying identified bodies.

When asked how many people were killed in the mishap, Jailani said that according to the manifest there were 213 dead passengers, but many others may still be trapped in the ship wreck on the bottom of the sea.

"Many passengers were not on the manifest of Dumai Express 10 which has a capacity for 253 passengers, he said.

According to Jailani, the 29 dead passengers had been identified, while four others had still to be identified.

Meanwhile the Dumai administration has prepared 14 ambulances at Dumai port along with a disaster alert team, a medical team, and Disaster Victim Identification team from the Riau Police.

MV Dumai Express 10 went down after big waves hit it in Tukung Hiu waters, North Karimun Besar island, Karimun waters on Sunday (22/11) at 8.30 a.m local time after leaving Sekupang Port of Batam to Dumai, Riau.(*)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

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