The death toll from the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ferry disaster in Indonesia’s Java Sea has risen to 20, while 115 people remain missing as rescuers continue an increasingly difficult underwater search.
The ferry, carrying 243 people including 30 crew members, capsized in bad weather on September 13 while traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Authorities recovered eight bodies from inside the vessel over three days, while two additional bodies were found after being washed ashore in Central Kalimantan, according to Indonesia’s National Rescue Agency. The latest recovery brought the confirmed death toll to 20, with 108 survivors accounted for.
Rescuers are now concentrating on the ferry’s hull and cabins, where several victims are believed to remain trapped. Divers managed to break through cabin windows but faced severe visibility problems caused by murky water and strong currents.
The operation also carries risks for divers because vehicles inside the ferry appear to have shifted and piled on top of one another.
Authorities have extended the search and recovery operation into next week as efforts continue to locate those still missing and work to right the capsized vessel.
The latest figures mark a significant change from earlier in the week, when 10 deaths and 125 missing people had been confirmed. The continuing discoveries underscore the scale of the disaster and the challenges facing rescuers beneath the Java Sea.
