Friday, June 16, 2006

4 of 8 TV crew found in Papua



The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Jayapura

Four of eight production and camera crew members on assignment in Papua to film a television travel show were found alive on Saturday, after experiencing their own survival adventure against the elements.

The eight were in Papua to shoot part of the TV travel show Jejak Petualangan (Steps to adventure).

Producer Dody Johanjaya, assistant producer Wendy M. Firman, cameraman Budhi Kurniawan and presenter Medina Kamil were found by a joint search-and-rescue team four days after the crew was reported missing.

Cameraman Bagus Dwi and three locals hired to assist the team from TV7 are still missing.

The station's news and current affairs director, Bambang S.K., told The Jakarta Post by phone that the four were found in stable condition.

"They were found at around 3:30 p.m. on Tiga Island," Bambang said Saturday.

Tiga Island is located some 50 kilometers offshore from Poumako port in Timika, the capital of Mimika regency.

He said the team, which went missing on Tuesday while traveling by boat to Timika from the Asmat capital town of Agats, was found by a search-and-rescue team comprising Mimika officials, police officers, military personnel and PT Freeport workers.

In a phone interview with TV7 on Saturday shortly after being evacuated and arriving at a health post in Timika, Dody said their boats had been capsized by big waves, spilling the passengers into rough waters.

He said he and the three others managed to stay in one group, holding on to anything they could, while the missing cameraman was rescued by a local crew.

"We floated on the sea for 20 hours. In the morning, we decided to get to a nearby island. We swam for three hours before reaching Tiga Island," he said.

They found the island deserted, he said, and walked every day around the island in the hopes of getting help from passing fishermen or ships.

Some locals apparently saw them, but did not stop.

"We survived by drinking rainwater that we collected when it rained, and there wasn't much food, so we ate anything we came across. Crab, seafood," Dody said.

Jejak Petualangan features interesting corners of the country and airs Monday to Thursday and on Saturday.

The show's team was one of three TV7 teams sent to the province to film three separate programs. The other teams are expected to return to Jakarta on June 20.

No comments: