Virgo Ship Accident Update: 114 Evacuated, 129 Still Missing

Basarnas has reported that 114 victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 capsizing incident in the Java Sea have been successfully evacuated. Of that number, six have been reported dead.

“From 243 victims, 108 have been evacuated in safe condition and 6 victims are reported deceased,” said the Head of Basarnas, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, to reporters on Monday (14/9).

Consequently, 129 other victims are still in the process of being searched for by the joint SAR team today.

“The number of victims reported still under search is 129 passengers,” said Syafii.

Syafii stated that during the second day of the search process, the team has modified its operational pattern. While the search was conducted across eight sectors on the first day, it has been adjusted to six sectors for the second day.

“Because the data regarding the vessel involved in the accident can now be identified and fixed, we hope the search operation for the victims can be carried out more effectively. This also applies to the condition of the ship, which is capsized and floating upside down,” he explained.

Syafii revealed that the agency has also deployed the Basarnas Special Group (BSG), which possesses underwater rescue capabilities, to assist in the search for victims. Additionally, Kopaska, Indonesian Navy divers, and Indonesian Navy maritime drones have been deployed to support the search process.

“Therefore, we hope that the operations on the second day can be carried out more effectively to accelerate the search and evacuation process for the victims,” he added.

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 KM Virgo is reported to be carrying 243 people, including passengers, crew, and staff.