Indonesia mobilizes over a thousand responders to hunt for 57 missing ship victims

Indonesia's Basarnas has assembled a task force of 1,041 responders from the agency, the Air Force, Navy, regional police and several ministries to intensify the search for the 57 missing victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 wreck. I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Class A SAR office, reported that the effort now includes 11 vessels, three helicopters, 42 ambulances and a team of 63 divers ready for underwater work.

After 18 days, officials have recovered 186 individuals - 108 survivors and 78 fatalities - while 57 remain unlocated out of the 243 listed on the ship's manifest. No bodies were recovered during the latest diving operations, but the divers will continue their search on day 19. The coordinated operation underscores the scale of the response and the ongoing challenge of locating all victims.