Basarnas Extends Search Operation for KM Virgo Victims by Seven Days
Basarnas has extended the search and rescue (SAR) operations for the 126 victims who remain missing following the accident involving the Motor Vessel (KM) Virgo Transport 8 for the next seven days.
The vessel met with an accident in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea, on Sunday (13/9). The extension was announced on the seventh day of the operation, Saturday (19/9) evening.
Basarnas Operations Director, Rear Admiral TNI Yudhi Bramantyo Nur Sasongko, stated that the decision was made after coordinating with SAR operation stakeholders and the salvage team coordinated by the ship’s owner.
“Today marks the seventh day. We declare that we will extend this operation for the next seven days,” said Yudhi during a press conference regarding the progress of the SAR operation at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, as reported by Antara on Saturday (19/9).
As of Saturday night at 21:00 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 117 victims have been found, consisting of 108 survivors and nine fatalities.
There are still 126 people missing out of a total of 243 individuals listed on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest. On the seventh day, the joint team did not find any new victims.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it departed from Surabaya, East Java, bound for Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on 12 September 2026.
The vessel was reported to have encountered bad weather and lost contact on 13 September 2026 at approximately 02:00 WITA. The ship was found on the same day capsized in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.
Two salvage teams coordinated by the ship’s owner only arrived on Saturday. As of that evening, both teams were still in discussions with relevant parties to determine the salvage operation steps.
Basarnas is extending the SAR operation while awaiting the results of the salvage team’s discussions and the plan for handling the wreckage, ensuring that the search can continue in accordance with developments on the ground.
“The salvage operation that will be carried out may take a long time, perhaps longer than we imagine. We cannot specify when, but it is clearly being discussed by the expert team from the ship owner’s side,” said Yudhi.