KRI Canopus Deployed for Underwater Search for KM Virgo Victims
Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - KRI Canopus will be deployed for the underwater search for victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident on the third day of the SAR operation, Tuesday, after bad weather hindered the deployment of diving teams on the second day, according to Basarnas.
Head of Basarnas, Mohammad Syafii, stated that the prepared diving teams, which include Kopaska TNI AL personnel, specialised TNI AL divers, and Basarnas personnel, could not yet be deployed because weather conditions at the location were not suitable for underwater searches.
“KRI Canopus is en route and arrived at the location on Tuesday (15/9) morning to support the underwater search using the technology available on the ship as an alternative to address the weather constraints limiting the deployment of divers,” Syafii said during a press conference regarding the progress of the second-day SAR operation for the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday night.
He mentioned that the technology onboard KRI Canopus includes underwater drones, multibeam echo sounders, and remotely operated vehicles (ROV), which can be used to assist in detecting and mapping underwater conditions in the effort to find victims and parts of the ship targeted in the search.
Basarnas stated that the deployment of KRI Canopus is part of the reinforcement of the SAR operation on the third day to expand search capabilities beneath the sea surface; however, diving personnel remain prepared for deployment as soon as weather conditions allow for a safe operation.
As of Monday (14/9) at 22:00 WITA, Head of Basarnas Mohammad Syafii confirmed that 114 victims have been found, consisting of 108 survivors and six fatalities, meaning 129 people out of a total of 243 remain missing.
Of the 114 victims found, 86 have arrived at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, comprising 85 survivors and one fatality.
The second fatality was evacuated to Syamsudin Noor Airbase, Banjarbaru, and has been handed over to the National Police Headquarters DVI Team for further medical examination.
Furthermore, one survivor arrived at Syamsudin Noor Airbase after being evacuated via a Basarnas helicopter from the accident site, while 26 other victims are still in the process of being evacuated from the site to Trisakti Port, consisting of 22 survivors and four fatalities.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 passengers and was reported to have lost contact in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea, on Sunday (13/9) at approximately 02:00 WITA, while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin since Saturday (12/9).