Dear Friends and Supporters ,

Just wanted to keep You updated what happend .........One tragedy after the next here in Indonesia but we will not give up with our continous help and support in Sumatra

Your
h2obali Team
Made / Silvie
www.h2obali.com

Donations at www.ethnotechno.com

Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 8:19 PM
Subject: Relief Boat Sunk off Nias




Dear All

By now some of you will be aware of the tragic news.

The relief boat that our Rotarian Stefan & Gary Turner (see man with the teddy bear article in the last IDEP Update) were onboard, the Endless Sun (Cahaya Abadi), a newly refitted 700 tonne cargo vessel sponsored by Asia Works & IDEP sank when it dashed onto a reef off the south coast of Nias after being broadsided by heavy swells. The boat went down within 20 minutes, slipping off the steep shelf into deep water with all 700 tons of supplies onboard lost.

Thankfully everyone onboard managed to dive to safety, sustaining only minor breaks and cuts. Early reports hint that Rtn Stefan has broken ribs while Gary has sustained a broken finger and some minor injuries. The incident happened so swiftly that there was not enough time to free the 2 small launches onboard and everyone had to literally swim for shore. This was a miracle as most of the Indonesian crew apparently could not swim!

The World Food Program sent a helicopter to lift the survivors to a safe area but according to an IDEP spokesman it could not take them all the way so a truck is being sent to collect the remainder. IDEP is now trying to organise the evacuation of everyone to the mainland then onto Bali, so I am sure we will hear some firsthand information as soon as they return.

This sad news puts a huge dent in the relief operation and highlights the dangers faced daily by volunteer relief workers in Aceh.

Regards

Mark
Rotary Club Bali Seminyak

IDEP FLASH UPDATE #15 - April 12th, 2005
From : Yayasan IDEP & Yayasan Andaru Selaras
Re : Tragic sinking of the Endless Sun Vessel

The Cahaya Abadi (Endless Sun), a private relief boat delivering aid to Aceh and Nias has sunk off the coast of Nias on April 11 at 14.00 local time.

The 700-ton vessel had just finished offloading a cargo of rice and aid to the village of Afulu on the south coast of Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia when it struck an uncharted reef in a heavy swell. The boat sunk within twenty minutes. Some of the Indonesian crew of 15 and 5 volunteers swam safely to shore and the others were picked up by fishing boats. All are safe.

The Cahaya Abadi had delivered some of the Yayasan IDEP aid and 87 tons of rice donated by the World Food Program to four isolated communities in Nias before the incident occurred. It had just completed its fourth rice delivery when the accident occurred. The vessel was still fully loaded with food, household and reconstruction aid intended for Aceh when it sank 600 meters offshore.

The vessel, leased by Yayasan Andaru Selaras (a Jakarta based NGO) was carrying relief goods from Yayasan IDEP, the World Food Program, Project Concern International and other donors.

“We are grateful for the good news that no one on board was seriously injured,� says Petra Schneider, Executive Director of Yayasan IDEP a Bali based NGO. “We are committed to continue our Aceh aid and recovery projects with the help of our generous donors, volunteers and staff.�

The many major earthquakes in the immediate area since December 26 have created an unstable seabed situation with uncharted, difficult to navigate coral reefs.

“Crew and volunteers were aware that they were entering a dangerous and volatile situation,� says Chris Gentry, founder of Yayasan Andaru Selaras. “I want to thank those who have put their lives at risk for the people of Aceh and North Sumatra. Despite the trauma and hardship they have experienced their commitment has not waned. Aid delivery in this difficult time will continue�.

The crew is being evacuated by World Food Program helicopters now. The vessel was a total loss.




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Among the tons of relief cargo lost undersea were the following items intended for IDEP’s project in Sama Tiga (Aceh) and IDEP is trying very hard to quickly replace these goods as the people there were promised that these items were coming soon aboard The Endless Sun. Last week, the vessel, en route to Sama Tiga, was re-routed to Nias to deliver rice to isolated coastal communities in need of food, after the March 28 earthquake.

Please help us replace these items for the villagers of Sama Tiga:


• 3,000 Kerosene stoves,$3 each, for a total of $9,000
• 800 “Aid Buckets� total $16,000
• 361 Household kits total $7850
• 340 Food kits total $7540
• 100 Fishing kits total $1224
• 1 trail bike (for delivering goods to villages without roads): $1,500


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