SEBUYAU: A captain of the Sebuyau-Triso ferry begs netizens to stop bashing the ferry staff for the tragedy at Batang Lupar on Friday.
Kurmi Denan expressed his disappointment on netizens bashing them for the tragedy as they did not know what actually transpired.
“I assure you as a captain of the Sebuyau-Triso ferry, there was no other ferry docked at the ramp and (the tragedy) has nothing to do with us (the ferry staff) because the accident only involved the four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle itself.
“Prior to the incident, I was manoeuvring my ferry to dock at the ramp and there was another ferry that had already departed about 60 metres away.
“At first, I saw from the (captain’s) deck that there were no cars coming. Later at about 30 to 40 metres to the ferry ramp, I saw the 4WD vehicle coming and it stopped at the end of the ramp,” he told reporters on Saturday (Jan 2).
“The vehicle reversed and suddenly went out of control before falling into the river. It happened in a blink of an eye,” he said.
Kurmi explained that when the public wants to board the ferry, there are instructions to follow such as all passengers except the driver must get out from the vehicle when on the ferry and ensure that the vehicles are properly docked while on the ferry with its handbrake firmly on.
He hoped that all road users are aware of the instructions and obey them when wanting to board a ferry.
Kurmi has been in the ferry industry for 18 years and serves as the captain of the Sebuyau-Triso ferry since 2013.
He said last Friday’s tragedy was the first to happen in Sebuyau.
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