Myanmar: Eight bodies recovered from sunken govt ship

Eight bodies recovered from sunken govt ship
Zaw Zaw Htwe 14 Feb 2019 https://www.mmtimes.com/news/eight-bodies-recovered-sunken-govt-ship.html

Rescue teams have recovered eight bodies of crewmen from the sunken government-owned ship Sin Pyaung, while 10 more are still missing.

The ship sank off Lattphat island in Manaung township, Rakhine State, on Monday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

On Tuesday, the ministry said the bodies of U Tun Tun, the ship’s captain, and U Tun Oo, a retired crewmember, were found near Zeetaw village. Seven crewmen survived the sinking.

“The government should test the integrity of its vessels to avoid this kind of tragic accident,” Ko Wai Yan, son of U Tun Oo, told The Myanmar Times on Tuesday.

He said his father was aboard the vessel in a personal capacity even though he was retired, because he had served aboard the vessel for 30 years.

The Rakhine Fire Brigade said on Tuesday that its rescue teams are still searching for the 10 crewmen who are missing.

The Sin Pyaung, which had a crew of 25, was used to maintain lighthouses.

The ship sank off Lattphat island at about 4.30am on Monday as it prepared to anchor for three days.

The Department of Transportation has said it will arrange for the funerals of the deceased crewmembers.

The ministry said divers from the Myanmar Port Authority would continue searching for the ship to determine the cause of the sinking.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications on Monday said it will give each of the families of the seamen who died 30 months pay as well as one-and-a-half months’ wages to cover the cost of funerals. The families will also receive payouts from the crewmen’s insurance.

The Myanmar Port Authority will apply for special pensions for the family members of the deceased and allow them to continue living in government housing.

The port authority is assisting family members of the crewmen to travel to Rakhine and helping to arrange funeral services.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Sin Pyaung was built in 1959 in Hong Kong and was used by the Myanmar Port Authority for maintaining lighthouses and buoys off the coast for 60 years.