DVI Team Works Through Weekend to Accelerate Identification of KM Virgo Victims

The identification process for the victims of KM Virgo Transport 8 at Bhayangkara Hospital Banjarmasin is being accelerated. The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of the South Kalimantan Regional Police has continued to work through Saturday and Sunday to speed up the recognition of the victims.

Head of the DVI Division of the Indonesian National Police Medical and Health Centre, Commissioner Wahyu Hidayati, stated that the continuous work schedule is a form of commitment to accelerating the identification process. “The team is also working on Saturday and Sunday; this is our commitment to optimising the identification process so it can be completed quickly,” Wahyu said, as reported on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.

As a result, 16 victims were successfully identified and announced on Monday, 28 September 2026. According to Wahyu, these identifications are the result of the team’s efforts over the past few days. “We are working optimally, but the process of recognising bodies naturally requires time, especially under difficult conditions where recognition is challenging,” he added.

Wahyu explained that the identification process becomes particularly difficult when the condition of the remains makes it impossible to take fingerprints. In such cases, the DVI team utilises alternative methods, such as dental examinations, medical characteristics, and inspecting personal property found on the victims.

“All findings on the bodies are matched with the antemortem data provided by the families,” he said. Personal property has proven to be a helpful clue, particularly for male victims. The team found several items still attached to the bodies, ranging from wallets to sling bags. These items are then cross-referenced with information and data provided by the victims’ families to confirm their identities.

As of Monday night, Bhayangkara Hospital Banjarmasin has received 70 bodies of the KM Virgo Transport 8 victims. Of that number, 41 victims have been successfully identified, while 29 other bodies are still undergoing the identification process.

Meanwhile, search operations for victims in the Java Sea are still ongoing. Out of the total 243 passengers and crew recorded in the manifest, 179 people have been found. The breakdown includes 108 survivors and 71 fatalities, while 64 others are still being searched for by the joint SAR team.