Basarnas widens search for 129 missing after Virgo Transport crash
Basarnas has expanded its rescue effort, now scanning six non-overlapping sectors covering 2,600 nautical miles to find the 129 people still missing from the Virgo Transport 8 disaster.
On the second day of the rescue, Basarnas reduced its search grid from eight to six sectors, each running parallel to avoid overlap between maritime and aerial teams, covering roughly 2,600 nautical miles around the crash site near Masalembo. Mohammad Syafii explained that this layout considers the possibility that victims may have been carried away by currents and waves. The KM Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya on September 12, encountered severe weather around midnight on September 13, and disappeared at about 2 a.m. while en route to Banjarmasin.
Of the 243 people on board, 108 have survived, six have died, and 114 individuals have been accounted for; 86 have already arrived at Trisakti Port, while 28 are still being evacuated. The Basarnas Command Center broadcast distress alerts to nearby ships in the Java Sea, and officials are working to locate the remaining 129 missing passengers as quickly as possible.
Why it matters
Over a hundred people remain missing after a major maritime accident, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.
How this story developed
- Sep 8 Respiratory Cases Surge in Bandarlampung Amid Anak Krakatau Eruption
- Sep 9 Search was restarted with four SAR units and thermal drones slated for flight.
- Sep 10 Search was broadened on Sept 9 into four SAR sectors after the initial sweep found no results.
- Sep 12 The ferry Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers, lost contact while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, prompting a search operation.
- Sep 13 Rescue teams have been dispatched to the last reported position.
- Sep 14 Capsizing confirmed with six fatalities and roughly 140 people still missing.
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