Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo assured Wednesday the relatives of 62 people killed in a Sriwijaya Air plane crash that they will be compensated. He visited the command centre at the international container terminal here where tons of plane debris have been collected for investigation into what caused the Boeing 737-500 to nosedive into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from here January 9. President Widodo also witnessed the first three relatives of the victims receiving money from the compensation fund.
Sriwijaya Air offered relatives an insurance payout of 1.25 billion rupiah ($89,100), in line with the Indonesian law that stipulates compensation must be offered within 60 days of a crash. In addition, state-owned insurance company Jasa Raharja has provided 50 million rupiah ($3,560) to each family of the victims. “I assure you that all compensation will be completed immediately for all victims,” Widodo said.
A search is still ongoing for the crucial memory unit of the cockpit voice recorder. The device apparently broke loose from its exterior and officials have said the underwater locator beacons attached to both crash-proof black boxes became dislodged due to the impact. The flight data recorder was recovered three days after the crash.
The 26-year-old Boeing had been out of service for almost nine months last year because of flight cutbacks caused by the pandemic.
Indonesia’s aviation industry grew quickly after the nation’s economy was opened following the fall of dictator Suharto in the late 1990s. Safety concerns led the United States and the European Union to ban Indonesian carriers for years. However, the bans have since been lifted due to better compliance with international aviation standards.