Search Continues for 140 Missing After Virgo Ship Disappears in Java Sea

The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people, lost contact during its journey from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. Currently, 140 victims of the ship’s disappearance remain missing and are still being searched for.

“Another 140 people are still being searched for, and data is still being confirmed by the team on the ground,” said the Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office, I Putu Sudayana, in a written statement received on Sunday (13/09/2026).

As of 12:00 WITA, 103 people from the Virgo Transport 8 have been evacuated. Among those rescued, one person was found deceased.

“The number of victims successfully evacuated is 103,” he stated.

The victims were evacuated by three ships. The SAR team has deployed several vessels, including Indonesian Navy ships, and helicopters to conduct the search. However, the search process is being hindered by high waves.

Information regarding the loss of contact with the Virgo Transport 8 was received by the Banjarmasin Basarnas at 04:10 WITA. The ship lost contact after encountering bad weather.

“We are optimising all available resources in this operation. The safety of the victims is the top priority in every SAR operation execution,” he added.