JAKARTA, Sept 14 — Indonesian rescuers continued the search for 129 people still missing from the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 on Monday, as the search and rescue (SAR) operation entered its second day in the Java Sea off South Kalimantan.
National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) chief Mohammad Syafii said 114 of the 243 people on board had been accounted for as of 10.36am local time, comprising 108 survivors and six fatalities.
“We continue to optimise all available SAR personnel and assets. Our main focus is to find and rescue those who remain missing, while continuing to ensure the safety of all personnel carrying out the operation,” he said in the agency’s latest social media post.
Mohammad Syafii said 655 personnel from Basarnas, the military, police, government agencies, volunteers and other SAR units were involved in the operation, supported by vessels, helicopters and aircraft.
He said the search, previously divided into eight sectors, had been reorganised into six sectors to sharpen the focus of efforts to locate those still missing.
Virgo Transport 8, carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members, lost contact at about 2am on Sunday while travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, before it was subsequently found capsized.
Authorities have said the vessel was hit by waves on its starboard side before it began listing, while an investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. — Bernama
