Relatives of Lebanese lost at sea tell their account of the tragedy...

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Imam of Kabiit town of Akkar, Ali Khoder said on Monday that the bodies of the Lebanese nationals who drowned off the coast of Indonesia whilst on board a boat en route to Australia have not yet been retrieved, noting that the 15 Lebanese survivors currently remain in the custody of the Indonesian authorities.

Sheikh Khoder's comments came during Nharkom Said TV Show aired from Akkar's Kabiit, the town from which most of the victims hail from.

"The sole representative of the Lebanese is the country's charge d'affaires who is unable to deal with the "disaster" alone," he added.

For his part, former head of the municipality of Kabiit, Ali Hamza said that the survivors lost their passports and are now being pursued by the Indonesian authorities.

As for Ahmad Khoder who lost 8 of his grandchildren and their mother told LBCI that his son used to work as a contract worker in one of the companies but was discharged from work four months ago.

He added that his son sought to travel to Australia hoping to provide a better life for his children.

In turn, former Chief of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Major General Ashraf Rifi slammed Monday “the failure of the government in dealing with the case of the Lebanese lost in Indonesia’s sea," noting that the authorities remain reluctant in providing necessary assistance to the families of the victims.

Rifi added, “Lebanese officials have not even contacted the Indonesian and Australian authorities in order to arrange the return of the survivors and the transfer of the corpses to Lebanon.”

Accordingly, Maj. Gen. Rifi urged the Lebanese government to form an urgent relief commission that must include officers from the ISF and General Security, representatives of the Foreign Ministry, a medical team and criminal evidence experts to examine and identify the victims’ bodies.

The death toll of the boat disaster rose to 29 on Sunday, with dozens more believed to still be missing, an official said.

The boat, believed to be carrying about 100 people, capsized Friday off West Java's Sukabumi district after being hit by high waves.

The boat, carrying asylum seekers from Lebanon, Pakistan and Iraq, was headed for Australia's Christmas Island.

It sank after being hit by up to 6-meter (19-foot) waves hours after leaving Sukabumi early Friday.

LBCI/AP