KMP Mutiara Sentosa II Owner Admits 5 Children Not on Passenger Manifest

The company that owns and operates the KMP Mutiara Sentosa II ferry has acknowledged that five children were not included in the official passenger manifest. According to Ferdinan Pondang, head of PT ALP's Surabaya branch, the children were not registered by the ticket purchasers or their parents. "The children were indeed not registered by the ticket buyer to us. So, the five children were not included in the manifest," Pondang said. Pondang stated that the company is still cross-checking the passenger data with its headquarters and could not immediately provide the exact number of passengers listed on the manifest for the Surabaya-Makassar voyage. He denied claims that the number of passengers on board exceeded the manifest count. "We are still cross-checking with headquarters. There was no excess of passengers over the manifest or anything like that," he said. Previously, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed that the manifest data for KMP Mutiara Sentosa II, which caught fire in the waters north of Sumenep, Madura, on Sunday, was suspected to be inaccurate. This was discovered after five children were found and evacuated, but they were not recorded on the official manifest. "There were five children not recorded on the manifest. Perhaps only these children will become our evaluation, why they were not recorded on the manifest. Every passenger on the ship should be recorded," Sumadi stated. Fortunately, the five children identified were found to be safe and healthy. As of Tuesday, August 4, a total of 238 people on board the KMP Mutiara Sentosa II had been evacuated. However, five individuals were confirmed dead.

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The children were indeed not registered by the ticket buyer to us. So, the five children were not included in the manifest.