Indonesian rescue divers recovered another body from inside the hull of the capsized Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship in the Java Sea, bringing the confirmed death toll to 10 as search operations enter their second week following the Sept 13 disaster.
More than a week after the Virgo Transport 8 capsized in rough seas, multi-agency rescue teams are shifting toward complex underwater salvage operations to reach scores of passengers still unaccounted for. The passenger ferry was carrying 243 people—including 213 passengers and 30 crew members—alongside 89 vehicles when it encountered severe weather during a 20-hour voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, according to the disaster’s initial manifest records.
Underwater Recoveries and Salvage Plans in the Java Sea
Rescue operations have grown increasingly intricate as divers confront severe environmental hazards around the wreck. The vessel initially remained partially afloat before sinking entirely to the seabed, forcing maritime teams to alter their search protocols. Navy official Edy Setyawan told Reuters on Friday that divers managed to enter the interior compartments, recovering the bodies of two males and one female during an operation that followed earlier weather delays.
Rescuers had not been able to find more survivors or bodies until the fifth day of the search due to strong currents and large waves, and authorities decided on Friday to right the ship to make the rescue operations easier. On Monday, 17 ships and aircraft were deployed for the search carrying about 655 personnel deployed from the military, police and other agencies, said Mohammad Syafii, the National Search and Rescue Agency chief. Authorities were also deploying specialized underwater teams and navy-operated underwater thermal drones to strengthen search efforts and speed up the evacuation of victims, he said. We remain hopeful of finding more survivors,
Syafii told a video briefing. Search teams, assisted by nearby tugboats and other passing vessels, rescued 108 people and recovered six bodies on Sunday. Contact was lost with the ferry at about 2 a.m. Sunday and about two hours later authorities received information that the vessel had overturned in the Java Sea’s Masalembo waters, about 92 miles from Banjarmasin.
The plan was to pull the ship onto a shallower seabed and then right it, Banjarmasin Navy Commander Galih Nurna Putra said, noting that The salvage operation is already under way. An observation was conducted yesterday, and today the team will likely move toward the location (of the ship).
The operation would be led by the ship’s owner, as mandated by Indonesian law, and backed by the rescue agency, the navy, and maritime police, said I Putu Sudayana, the head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency. Once the ship is turned upright, rescue and evacuation operations will begin, with Putu noting, As long as the ship is still at the seabed, the dive team dared only to remain outside the ship.
Indonesian authorities also deployed eight ships and two helicopters on Friday to conduct the air and sea surface searches, Putu said, adding that operations were still hampered by strong winds, currents and waves. On Monday, the agency will send a remotely operated vehicle into the vessel to help guide the divers during the operation, Putu added, noting in a press conference: Hopefully the weather at the site will be favorable (tomorrow)…so more victims trapped inside the ship can be evacuated.
Survivor Accounts Highlight the Rapid Listing
Survivors recalled harrowing moments as the 390-foot ferry—which was built in Japan in 1987—overturned in bad weather after its captain issued a distress call, saying the ship was listing in rough seas with waves of up to 10 feet. A survivor, Ahmad Saudi, said the ferry appeared overcrowded. The manifest said the ship carried 243 people including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, although it is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers to differ from the manifest. Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Sunday showed an overturned ferry floating in choppy waters during a helicopter search operation, with divers deployed with underwater drones.
As the national search and rescue agency Basarnas detailed, the latest recovery operation retrieved an additional victim from inside the ship’s hull, with the agency stating: The victim was found by divers during a search inside the ship’s hull,
adding that the person will be airlifted out for identification. Basarnas further stated: The search and evacuation operation will be continued using divers and also air support.
Extended Search Operations and Unanswered Questions
With 108 survivors rescued and the death toll reaching 10, Indonesian search authorities confirmed that the recovery operation for the sunken ship was extended by another week due to the number of missing people and because the salvage operation to right the ship is expected to take time. Following the latest operation, 125 passengers remained unaccounted for, alongside earlier counts noting 126 missing. Members of a joint evacuation team wearing full personal protective equipment carried body bags containing victims of the Virgo Transport 8 ship accident upon arrival at Trisakti Port, Indonesia. Authorities have not determined the cause of the accident.