Java Sea ferry death toll reaches 20 as search continues for 115 missing

The confirmed death toll from the capsizing of the Virgo Transport 8 ferry in Indonesia’s Java Sea reached 20 on Wednesday, 23 September, while 115 people remained missing. According to a Reuters report published by gCaptain, authorities have extended search and rescue operations until Sunday of the following week as teams continue examining the submerged vessel.

The ferry had 243 people aboard, including 30 crew members, along with an unspecified number of vehicles. It capsized during bad weather early on 13 September while sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. National Rescue Agency head Mohammad Syafii said 108 people had survived. The latest confirmed fatality count was double the previously reported total of 10.

Coast guard and navy teams recovered eight bodies from within the ferry over the preceding three days, Syafii said. Two further bodies were found washed ashore in Central Kalimantan, roughly 253 km from the casualty site. He said five bodies were recovered on Monday, another four on Tuesday and one on Wednesday morning, with officials anticipating further discoveries as the underwater search expanded.

The operation on Wednesday was to concentrate on the ferry’s cabins, according to Banjarmasin rescue agency head I Putu Sudayana. Divers had broken cabin windows on Tuesday, but poor underwater visibility and powerful currents prevented them from entering. Those conditions also stopped teams from recovering bodies they had already located. Sudayana said the hull remained the priority because rescuers had found numerous passengers trapped in cabins.

Search teams could subsequently examine the vehicles carried by the ferry, although their condition presented additional hazards. Many appeared to be stacked on one another, making access potentially dangerous for divers. Sudayana said that part of the operation would proceed only if conditions allowed it to be conducted safely. Authorities also reported that work to right the vessel was under way, but the ferry was still overturned on Wednesday.