Search Area for KM Virgo 8 Victims Expanded, KRI Canopus Deployed

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has expanded the search area for victims of the capsized KM Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea on Tuesday (15/9).

“Today the search area has been widened. The area of the search for the waters or sea is 4,600 nautical miles, nearly double that of yesterday, divided into six sectors,” said Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office, I Putu Sudayana, to reporters on Tuesday.

Putu said a number of Indonesian Navy vessels were also deployed in Tuesday’s search operation, including KRI Canopus, which possesses technology to assist the underwater search process.

“KRI Canopus has been plotted in a sector, if I’m not mistaken sector 5. Then there is KRI Nala, KRI Gusti Ngurah Rai and KRI Pulau Fani,” he said.

“Then there is also KN SAR Laksmana, KN Kunyit, the vessel Kumai and KN SAR Wisanggeni, as well as a police vessel on standby,” he continued.

On Monday (14/9), divers who had been deployed to assist the underwater search were unable to operate due to adverse weather conditions.

As a result, Basarnas Chief Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii said the agency would utilise the technology aboard the Navy’s KRI Canopus to conduct an underwater search.

“We will carry out an underwater search using the technology on board the Canopus, including its underwater drone, Multibeam Echo Sounder, and ROV,” he said on Monday.

As of Monday, of the 243 people on board the vessel, 114 had been found while 129 others were still being sought.

KM Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have lost contact in the Java Sea at around 02:00 Central Indonesia Time on Sunday (13/9), while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (12/9). The vessel was said to be carrying 243 people, comprising passengers, ship crew and staff.