Update on KM Virgo Victims: 42 Dead, 93 Still Missing

A joint diving team successfully recovered 14 victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8, which capsized and sank in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea, South Kalimantan, on Thursday (24/9).

As a result, a total of 150 victims have been found so far, consisting of 108 survivors and 42 deceased. Meanwhile, 93 victims remain missing from the total manifest of 243 people.

“The Joint SAR Team will continue to conduct maximum search efforts, particularly through diving inside the ship’s hull,” stated the Head of Basarnas, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, in a statement on Thursday.

The 14 victims successfully evacuated today were subsequently transported to the KN SAR Pacitan. Following this, the bodies were flown to Banjarmasin using the Basarnas HR-3604 helicopter and the Indonesian Navy’s Panther helicopter.

Upon arrival in Banjarmasin, the victims were handed over to the relevant authorities for identification and further handling.

KM Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have lost contact in the Java Sea waters on Sunday (13/9) at 02:00 WITA, while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin since Saturday (12/9).

The vessel, carrying 243 people, is suspected to have lost contact due to severe weather. The ship was discovered on the same day in a capsized condition in the Java Sea waters.