Agencies, Jakarta – The National Police have arrested the captain of the ship that capsized last month in the Java Sea, an incident that killed at least 78 people and triggered a long and difficult search for passengers that is still ongoing.
The Virgo Transport 8 ferry was carrying 243 people when it capsized in bad weather in the Java Sea on September 13 during a voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. Authorities said 108 people survived.
Divers have been circling the ship, battling against fast sea currents and the ship's unstable structure, to search for those missing on deck.
Senior national police official Sr. Comr. Kukuh Prabowo was quoted by state news agency Antara on Wednesday as saying that the ship's captain has been arrested and named a criminal suspect.
Kukuh said the captain was suspected of violating the shipping law by knowingly sailing an unseaworthy vessel, an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison when it causes deaths and property damage.
He did not provide any details of the alleged crimes.
The current death toll from the incident is 78 people, while 57 people remain missing, the National Search and Rescue Agency said late on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, police investigators charged a train driver with allegedly failing to hit the brakes in time to prevent a crash that killed 16 women near Jakarta in Apri.
A long-distance train smashed on April 28 into a women-only car at the back of a stationary commuter train near Bekasi Timur station outside the capital.
The 37-year-old driver of the long-distance train now faces multiple charges after an investigation found he had hit the brakes too close to the stalled commuter train.