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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Energy & Infrastructure

Passengers Carrying Body Stranded for Two Days at Soetta Airport

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Several passengers transporting a body to Nias remained at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for two days after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau temporarily disrupted operations.
  • The family of Iwan Zebua considered sending the body by sea, but expected delays there as well and continued waiting for a flight.
  • The family said it incurred about 1.5 million rupiah in additional expenses while the departure time remained uncertain.

The body of Iwan Zebua had remained at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for two days as his family waited to take him to Nias for burial according to local custom. The passengers became stranded after the Tangerang airport temporarily halted operations because of volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau.

We are accompanying our uncle, the late Iwan Zebua, whom we want to send to Nias so we can bury him there according to our customs. It is quite sad because he has remained at the airport as a body for about two days.

· Frengki Lase, nephew of Iwan ZebuaHe described the family’s effort to transport Iwan’s body to Nias for a customary burial.

Frengki Lase, Iwan's nephew, was accompanying the body with two other family members. He said the family felt deeply saddened that Iwan's remains were still at the airport. They planned to take him to Loloanaa village in Botomuzoi, Nias.

The family searched for another way to send the body, including by sea. However, information they received indicated that the sea route could also face delays on the journey to Nias. They therefore had little choice but to wait for information about flights from the airport.

We had already tried to find out whether there was another option, but from the information we received, the sea route could also face delays or obstacles on the journey to Nias.

· Frengki Lase, nephew of Iwan ZebuaHe explained why the family continued waiting for air travel instead of using a sea route.

The delay also created unexpected costs. Frengki said the family had spent about 1.5 million rupiah beyond its original plan, while the airline had not provided compensation. The family still lacked certainty about its departure. They had initially been told to expect a 6:55 a.m. flight, but the latest airport information indicated another delay of roughly two to three hours. Frengki hoped they could leave at around 9 a.m. after the schedule was rearranged.

There is still no certainty, because we are also quite unsure. We were initially informed that we would fly at around 6:55, but the latest information board says we will be delayed again by roughly two to three hours.

· Frengki Lase, nephew of Iwan ZebuaHe said the family still did not know when its flight would depart.

Soekarno-Hatta resumed operations at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma and Husein Sastranegara airports had become active again at that time, while Budiarto Curug and Pondok Cabe reopened at 2:25 a.m. Three other airports, Radin Inten II, M Taufik Kiemas and Salakanagara, remained closed until 10 a.m. because of the volcanic ash.

As of Sept. 8 at 12:01 a.m., Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung were declared active again. Budiarto Curug Airport in Banten and Pondok Cabe Airport in Banten reopened at 2:25 a.m.

· Dudy Purwagandhi, Indonesia's transport ministerHe announced the reopening times for five airports affected by volcanic ash.
About this summary

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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