Crew member Akmal said he and four colleagues used the cylinder for\nsupport because they could not find a lifeboat or inflatable raft after\nabandoning the vessel.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive of us held onto one LPG cylinder. It was an empty 3-kilogram\ncylinder,\u201d Akmal said after being evacuated and arriving at Trisakti\nPort in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Akmal was among 22 survivors evacuated Tuesday by a Rigid Buoyancy\nBoat (RBB) from Banjarmasin Naval Base after being transferred from KRI\nNala at the site.<\/p>\n
They had been transferred between several vessels since being rescued\nat about 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, after the accident occurred\naround 1 a.m., he said.<\/p>\n
Akmal said they entered the water at about 1 a.m. and were found by a\ntugboat around 10 a.m., enduring nearly nine hours of large waves while\nclinging to the cylinder.<\/p>\n
While in the water, Akmal and the four other crew members struggled\nto maintain their grip as large waves battered them until help\narrived.<\/p>\n
Akmal said he saw neither a lifeboat nor an inflatable raft during\ntheir time at sea. The five remained together until the tugboat arrived\nand pulled them from the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI later saw survivors and dead victims aboard the tugboat, but I did\nnot know their exact condition before they were evacuated from the sea,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Akmal, who is from Garut District, West Java, worked as a cleaner\naboard the KM Virgo Transport 8 and had been employed there for about\nthree months before the accident.<\/p>\n
As of 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Basarnas said 114 people had been\nfound, including 108 survivors and six dead. Another 129 people remained\nmissing from the 243 people aboard.<\/p>\n
Of the 114 people found, 110 had reached Banjarmasin, including 108\nsurvivors and two deceased victims. Four other deceased victims were\nstill being evacuated by air, Basarnas said.<\/p>\n
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people, lost contact in the\nMasalembo waters of the Java Sea around 2 a.m. local time on Sunday,\nSeptember 13, while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.<\/p>\n
Related news: KRI Canopus conducts underwater search for Virgo\nTransport 8 victims<\/p>\n
Related news: Basarnas expands search for 129 missing after Virgo\nTransport accident<\/p>\n
Translator: Tumpal AA, Rahmad Nasution<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/five-virgo-transport-8-crew-survive-using-empty-lpg-cylinder-1789473043", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }