‘My body also has these parts’: Lion Air rescuers discuss their grim task
- Tanjung Priok port has seen a steady inflow of human remains, debris and personal belongings from Monday’s crash
- Underwater search efforts are hampered by a lack of visibility, while family members refuse to give up hope
Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta handles more than half the country’s cargo traffic, but for the past few days it has also seen a steady inflow of body parts, debris, and personal belongings from Monday’s Lion Air plane crash in the Java Sea.
As divers and rescuers scoured an area of 15 nautical miles for the Boeing 737 Max 8’s fuselage and data recorders, Willy, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, took photos of the remains they brought on shore.
Among them were body parts – including a thigh, a head, and the body of an infant – he said, stoically.
“[For the infant, I saw] only the body, no head, no hands nor feet. I feel so sorry for the passengers … photographing these makes me sad, obviously. Each day I can take over 1000 photos. Aside from the plane debris I also take pictures of personal belongings like wallets, bags, identity cards, money, shoes.
“I will be here until the black box is found,” Willy said, adding that he had only been in his job for a year.
