KN SAR Kamajaya Deploys 89 Personnel to Intensify Search for KM Virgo Victims
Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - The KN SAR Kamajaya has deployed 89 personnel to strengthen and maximise the search and rescue (SAR) operations for 126 victims who remain missing following the accident involving the Motor Ship (KM) Virgo Transport 8 in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.
At Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Saturday night, the KN SAR Kamajaya, along with 89 personnel, departed for the Masalembo waters, carrying a complete set of SAR equipment to be utilised for the eighth day of the SAR operation on Sunday (20/9).
“Tonight, we are shifting personnel strength from the KN SAR Kamajaya. There are 89 personnel on the KN SAR Kamajaya,” said the Director of Operations at Basarnas, Rear Admiral TNI Yudhi Bramantyo Nur Sasongko.
He stated that this personnel strength will be utilised to continue the operation in accordance with the directions of the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), with the search methods used thus far remaining in place to maximise efforts to find the missing victims.
“We will utilise this time by continuing the operations as instructed by the SMC; as usual, we will maximise maritime patrols to ensure optimal results,” said Yudhi.
Following an evaluation of the entire SAR operation up to the seventh day, Basarnas decided to extend the operation for an additional seven days based on various considerations.
As of the seventh day, Saturday night at 21:00 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 117 victims had been found, consisting of 108 survivors and nine fatalities, while 126 individuals remain missing out of the total 243 people listed on the KMP Virgo Transport 8 manifest.
KMP Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it set sail from Surabaya, East Java, towards 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, before being discovered later that same day capsized in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.