Death toll from capsized Indonesian ship climbs as search widens for 107 missing
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Coast guard and Navy personnel recovered 14 bodies from inside the ship over the past three days.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The death toll from the capsized Virgo Transport 8 ferry in Indonesia has risen to 28, with 107 people still missing and 108 survivors.
- Rescue teams are focusing on underwater searches in the ship’s hull, where many passengers are believed trapped, but murky water and strong currents hinder efforts.
- Search operations continue until September 27, with plans to search vehicle areas if it is safe, despite risks to divers from piled-up vehicles.
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JAKARTA – The official death toll from a passenger ship that capsized and sank off Indonesia 10 days ago rose to 28 on Sept 23, officials said, with rescuers expecting to find more bodies as the ongoing underwater search widens, officials said.
The Virgo Transport 8 ferry was carrying 243 people, including 30 crew members, as well as an unknown number of vehicles, when it capsized in bad weather early on Sept 13 during a voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Coast guard and Navy personnel recovered 16 bodies from inside the ship over the past three days, with nine found on Sept 23.
Two more bodies that had been washed ashore about 253km from the location of the accident, head of National Rescue Agency Mohammad Syafii said.
As at Sept 23, the total death toll stood at 28, with 107 people still missing. There were 108 known survivors.
Search and rescue operations have been extended until Sept 27.
Authorities said efforts to right the ship were underway, but it remained capsized on Sept 23.
The Sept 23 search focused on looking for more bodies in the ship’s cabins, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency.
Divers managed to break the windows of the cabins on Sept 22 but could not enter due to murky water and strong currents, making it impossible to retrieve bodies that had already been spotted.
“Our underwater search is focused on the ship’s hull. That is where we are concentrating because we have found many passengers trapped inside the cabins,” he said.
After that, if possible, rescuers will shift the search to the vehicles on the ferry, but it could prove challenging, with many appearing to be piled on top of each other.
“This poses risks to the diving team,” Putu said. “If it is feasible and safe, we will carry out the search.” REUTERS