(1/22/2012)
Emotional scenes of family reunion occurred at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport as Indonesian crewmembers from the Costa Concordia returned to their homeland and the welcoming hugs of family and friends.
Some 23 Indonesian crewmen, many of them Balinese, have returned from Italy on emergency travel documents issued by the Indonesan Embassy in Rome and wearing only donated clothing; leaving behind the personal effects and document on the abandoned ship.
The Costa Concordia ran aground in Italy on Friday, January 13, 2012.
Greeting the crewmen in Bali were families and friends, accompanied by officials of the Bali Manpower Office on hand to confirm the men's safe homecoming. Crewmembers have been promised by Costa Cruises that their unpaid salaries will be transferred to their Indonesian bank accounts in the coming weeks.
Most of the men were reluctant to discuss their close brush with disaster, but some of the sailors tell how they have been traumatized by the incident, unsure is they will seek employment with Costa or other cruise ships in the future.
One Balinese crewmember, 31-year-old Nyoman Juniarta, was badly injured when he abandoned the ship and still remains at the Santai Maria Alle Scotte Hospital in Siena. Juniarta reportedly suffered fractures to his back and thigh when he fell 12-meters as the ship went down. One Indonesian news report quotes a family member as fearing the man is now paralyzed due to his injuries. Engaged to be married, Juniarta has now postponed any wedding plans until his future health propsects become clearer.
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