Six Specialist Divers Deployed to Search for Victims Trapped in KM Virgo 8
Six personnel from the Basarnas Special Group (BSG) were deployed to search for victims suspected to be trapped within the hull of KM Virgo Transport 8 on Sunday (20/9).
The Head of Basarnas, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, stated that all efforts are being carried out to the maximum extent while prioritising the safety of personnel.
“We have deployed six BSG personnel to sweep the interior of the ship. Our focus is to find the victims. We will continue to exert maximum effort, but the safety of the divers remains our priority,” Syafii said in a statement on Sunday.
Additionally, Basarnas has deployed the KN SAR Kamajaya to conduct sweeping operations and will drop anchor near the vessel’s location to support the diving process.
Syafii noted that the SAR operation is ongoing, involving maritime elements and diving teams around the KM Virgo Transport 8 site to locate the victims.
Previously, Basarnas extended the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the 126 victims of KM Virgo 8 who remain missing. The extension was announced on the seventh day of the operation, Saturday (19/9) night.
The Director of Operations at Basarnas, Rear Admiral Yudhi Bramantyo, stated that the decision was made after coordinating with SAR operation stakeholders and the salvage team coordinated by the ship’s owner.
“Today marks the seventh day. We have declared that we will extend this operation for the next seven days,” Yudhi said during a press conference on Saturday.
As of Saturday night at 21:00 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 117 victims had been found, consisting of 108 survivors and nine fatalities.
There are still 126 people missing from the total of 243 individuals listed on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest. On the seventh day, the joint team did not find any new victims.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it set sail from Surabaya, East Java, towards Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on 12 September 2026.
The ship was reported to have encountered bad weather and lost contact on 13 September 2026 at approximately 02:00 WITA. The vessel was found on the same day in a capsized condition in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.