Indonesia Extends Search For 126 Missing Ferry Passengers

Rescuers recovered three more bodies after the Virgo Transport 8 sank in the Java Sea, bringing the confirmed death toll to nine.

Indonesian authorities have extended the search for 126 people still missing after a passenger ferry sank in the Java Sea last week, a rescue official said on Saturday.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it lost contact with its shipping company after departing Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city on Java island, on Sunday. The ferry was travelling to Banjarmasin on the island of Borneo.

Rescuers recovered three bodies from the sunken vessel on Friday, raising the confirmed death toll to nine, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas.

Basarnas operations director Yudhi Bramantyo said authorities had decided to extend the search for another seven days while discussions continue on how to right the ferry. Some of those still missing are believed to be trapped inside the vessel.

“We have decided to extend this operation for the next seven days while awaiting the results of the discussion and steps that will be taken by the salvage team,” Yudhi told a news conference.

Divers are also being deployed to the wreck to search for the missing passengers and crew.

Yudhi said rescue teams were hoping for favourable weather conditions to allow divers to operate safely.

“It is our hope that the weather is favourable tomorrow so that the divers can carry out their activities,” he said.

Search-and-rescue operations in Indonesia typically continue for seven days, although authorities can extend them depending on factors such as the possibility that victims may still be recovered.

Marine accidents are relatively common in Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that depends heavily on boats and ferries for transportation and tourism.

Poor safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions are often cited as major factors contributing to maritime disasters in the country.