Search operations on the second day focused on the waters around\nMasalembo, radiating from the accident\u2019s reference point at coordinates\n4\u00b031\u201951.82\u201d South Latitude and 114\u00b002\u201906.88\u201d East Longitude, with a\nheading of 203.94 degrees.<\/p>\n
Head of Basarnas Mohammad Syafii said the search pattern was arranged\nin parallel across six sectors to ensure that operational routes between\nsea and air units did not overlap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe search area that we carried out across six sectors covers 2,600\nnautical miles. The search started from the datum position, followed by\ndirected sector patterns,\u201d Syafii said during a press conference at\nTrisakti Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
He explained that rescuers narrowed the operation to six sectors on\nthe second day after establishing the exact location of the incident,\ndown from the eight sectors deployed on the first day.<\/p>\n
The non-overlapping sector system was designed to account for the\npossibility that people could be carried away from the initial accident\nsite by ocean currents and waves.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the start to the finish point, there is no contact between\nsectors one to six. That is what we are executing to maximize results,\u201d\nSyafii said.<\/p>\n
According to Syafii, the KM Virgo Transport 8 encountered severe\nweather at around midnight Central Indonesian Time (WITA) on Sunday\n(September 13) before losing contact at around 2:00 a.m. WITA while en\nroute from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.<\/p>\n
The vessel had departed from Surabaya on Saturday (September 12).<\/p>\n
The crew reported the emergency to the ship\u2019s operator, PT Virgo,\nbefore issuing distress signals.<\/p>\n
The Basarnas Command Center subsequently broadcast alerts to nearby\nvessels in the Java Sea, requesting immediate assistance.<\/p>\n
As of 11:00 a.m. WITA on Monday, Basarnas confirmed that 114 of the\n243 people aboard the ship had been accounted for, comprising 108\nsurvivors and six fatalities.<\/p>\n
Of the 114 people located, 86\u2014including 85 survivors and one deceased\npassenger\u2014had arrived at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, while the\nevacuation of 28 other rescued people was still underway.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, today we can find the people who are still declared\nmissing so we can evacuate them safely,\u201d Syafii said.<\/p>\n
Related news: Consumer agency urges tech-based prevention of sea\ntransport accidents<\/p>\n
Related news: Virgo Transport 8 was not overloaded when it lost\ncontact: Minister<\/p>\n
Translator: Tumpal Andani Aritonang, Yashinta Difa<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/basarnas-expands-search-for-129-missing-after-virgo-transport-accident-1789383079", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }