Sriwijaya Oxygen crash: Forest ranger and family boarded an earlier flight after acquiring COVID-19 test results
12 January, 2021
It was supposed to be a new starting for Mr Rizki Wahyudi, a good forest ranger at the Mount Palung National Recreation area in the remote section of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, a seven-hour travel from the provincial capital, Pontianak.
Mr Wahyudi landed employment at the national recreation area last year, but in those days his wife, Indah Halimah Putri was pregnant with their primary kid, Arkana Nadhif Wahyudi.
When his son was old more than enough to become listed on him, Mr Wahyudi flew to South Sumatra where his wife and their eight-month-old son lived. The three after that proceeded to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka where his widowed mom lived and asked her to become listed on them in West Kalimantan.
The mother, Rosi Wahyuni agreed on the problem that her orphaned niece, Nabila Anjani also moved in with them. Mdm Wahyuni have been looking after the 12-year-old since she shed both parents to a major accident.
But the band of five never managed to get to West Kalimantan. The plane these were on, Sriwijaya Air air travel SJ182, crashed four minutes after removing from Jakarta on Saturday afternoon (Jan 9). It had been three weeks before Mr Wahyudi’s 27th birthday.
The family kept Pangkal Pinang on Friday, Mr Wahyudi’s cousin, Muhammad Haekal told CNA. There is absolutely no direct airline flight from Pangkal Pinang to Pontianak. Though it is practical to take a connecting airline flight and arrive on a single day, the family made a decision to spend the night time in Jakarta.
“Rizki told us that he wanted the family group to take PCR testing found in Jakarta. In Pangkal Pinang, such tests can expense twice as many as Jakarta,” Mr Haekal stated.
Mr Haekal, who lives in Jakarta, said he had a video phone with the family group on Friday. He remembered requesting them why they were spending the night time at a hotel instead of residing at his home.
“He said he didn’t want to bother. I asked him when he was likely to fly to Pontianak and if there is any potential for us meeting. He told me that they could fly to Pontianak on Sunday,” he recounted.
“(Rizki) said he called because he wanted to say goodbye as they will be heading aside to a faraway place for a long time. They did this to all or any of our prolonged members of the family. Little did I know that it would be the last time I saw them. It was their final goodbye.”
Mr Haekal said unbeknown to him, Mr Wahyudi and the family decided to fly a day earlier, the moment they acquired the benefits of their swab testing.
“Maybe they didn’t wish to spend additional money on accommodation. Probably they didn’t want the test outcomes to expire by enough time they surely got to their vacation spot. I don’t find out. And we might under no circumstances know,” he said.
Ms Putri’s father told local media from South Sumatra that his girl texted him shortly before they boarded the trip.
“Dad, this morning our PCR swab (check) results came out. We are all negative, so we made a decision to fly to Pontianak straightaway. We are now at the (airport terminal) lounge looking forward to our flight. It is delayed because the rainfall is pouring very hard,” she reportedly wrote.
The plane was likely to take off at 1.25pm nonetheless it was delayed for a lot more than an hour because of bad weather.
Flight SJ182 crashed just north of Jakarta between several tiny islands named Laki and Lancang. Sixty-two persons, including seven kids and three infants had been on board.
Rescuers have already been retrieving mangled plane instruments and elements of its landing equipment and tail. Divers have also found human being remains and none were intact.
The police’s Disaster Victim Identification Product said they have so far received more than a dozen body bags containing human remains. These continues to be will be cross-referenced with DNA samples that officials contain collected from the victims’ up coming of kin.
Indonesian Navy divers retrieve wreckage from the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 aircraft AFP/ADEK BERRY
Mr Haekal said since Mr Wahyudi can be an only kid, the closest living family members are his several uncles who flew to Jakarta from Pangkal Pinang on Sunday to supply their DNA.
“They too are incredibly shaken by the incident. Most of us are. These were so shocked they couldn’t communicate with other family members,” he said.
“We just hope for the very best. We hope there will be a miracle. But given the circumstances, we wish that they can at least retrieve their bodies consequently we are able to give them an effective burial.”
On Monday, it had been reported that Indonesian navy divers scouring the seabed were closing in on the plane’s data recorders.
The National Transportation Safeness Committee said the plane may have been intact before it hit the water, given the debris seemed to have scattered in a comparatively tight area underwater.
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