Surabaya (ANTARA) - Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto handed over 53 housing units to families of the fallen crew members of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine at a housing complex, Sidoarjo, East Java.
"The housing complex has been allotted to families of the fallen KRI Nanggala 402 seamen," Air Chief Marshal Tjahjanto stated.
The TNI commander remarked that TNI's Naval Main Base V had collaborated with the Ministry of Public Works and People's Housing to develop a housing complex for families of the fallen seamen in Candi Sub-district, Sidoarjo.
The two-hectare housing complex, with 53 houses for each of the seamen family, has been developed since August 23, 2021, and is expected to be ready next month, he informed.
"The housing complex that I have earlier officiated is dedicated to the families and offspring of the crew members of KRI Nanggala 402, and we expect the 53 houses to be ready in December," the TNI commander noted.
Administrative formalities, such as house and land certificates, have all been completed, he revealed.
"House and land certificates have all been readied, and I hope the houses would benefit the families and motivate their children to fulfill their dreams," Tjahjanto stated.
Wini, the spouse of Commodore Harry Setiawan -- who was posthumously promoted -- represented the families of the fallen seamen of KRI Nanggala 402 and expressed their gratitude for the houses being provided to the bereaved families.
"We express our gratitude to President Joko Widodo, TNI Commander, Navy Chief of Staff, and relevant institutions that have assisted in providing the housing," Wini stated.
Apart from TNI Commander Tjahjanto, the house handover ceremony was also witnessed by East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono, and other officials.
KRI Nanggala 402 went missing during a torpedo drill in Bali Sea on April 21, 2021. The submarine was discovered on April 25 after days of intensive search, and the submarine's 53 crew members were declared dead. (*)
