One of the two bodies from the passenger ship KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, recently discovered on the shores of Jembrana, Bali, has been successfully identified as of Wednesday, July 9, 2025. The identification took place at Blambangan Regional General Hospital in Banyuwangi, East Java. The deceased has been confirmed to be Putu Mertayasa, 43, a resident of Banjar Pasar, Desa Anturan, Buleleng. According to information gathered by local sources, Putu Mertayasa is the twelfth victim to be found as of that Wednesday morning. His body has been transported from Blambangan Hospital and will be handed over to his family at Gilimanuk Harbor. Meanwhile, the identification of the other body, identified as the eleventh victim, is still underway.
“Only one body has been identified out of the two found in Jembrana this morning. He is from Buleleng, and the body has already left Blambangan Hospital,” stated Colonel Cokorda Gede Parta Pemayun, the Commander of the Denpasar Naval Base, during a confirmation. “It has already crossed over and will be handed over to the family and taken to their place of mourning,” he added.
Previously, two male bodies were discovered along the Jembrana coast. The first body was found around 7:00 AM by a fisherman named Miftahul Rahman, who reported that the victim was wearing black shorts and a nearly dislodged black shirt. Just a short time later, at around 7:30 AM, a second body was located by four other fishermen and was immediately evacuated to the shores of Desa Pebuahan. The second victim was found in black shorts without a shirt.
Nyoman Sidakarya, Head of the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas Bali), explained that both bodies were promptly sent to Blambangan Hospital for further identification by the East Java Police’s DVI team. “Both bodies are male, with torn clothing and wearing shorts. The next steps involve transporting the two victims to Blambangan Hospital as all identification processes are conducted there, and we have also reported to the main post in Ketapang, Banyuwangi,” Sidakarya stated at the RSU Negara on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Sidakarya further noted that the bodies were transported in two vehicles, accompanied by police escorts. With one victim identified, the search and identification efforts for the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya victims will continue relentlessly.
