KRI Canopus conducts underwater search for Virgo Transport 8 victims

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3 hours ago

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) – The Canopus warship (KRI) has been deployed to scour Sector 5 to locate victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident in the Java Sea on the third day of the SAR operation on Tuesday, expanding the search to underwater areas.

The Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue (SAR) Office and the designated SAR Mission Coordinator, I Putu Sudayana, explained that KRI Canopus departed in the morning to Sector 5, in accordance with the sector assignments established for the operation.

“KRI Canopus departed this morning. We have deployed it to Sector 5 of the search map,” he stated on Tuesday.

The KRI Canopus is bolstering the search alongside several other vessels stationed across the six sectors, namely KRI Nala, KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, KRI Pulau Fani, KN SAR Laksamana 241 Banjarmasin, KN Kunyit, KAL Kumai, and KN SAR Wisanggeni 236 Balikpapan.

Additionally, other maritime assets involved in the search operation include KN SAR Kamajaya 104 Makassar, KN SAR Permadi 249 Surabaya, Rigid Buoyancy Boats (RBB), KP Laksamana 7012, KP Orca 06, MV Haida, KM Cahaya Bahari Jaya, MT Mauhuw IX, and TB Transcoal Pacific, all supporting the sweep of the search area.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) conveyed that KRI Canopus’s deployment to Sector 5 aimed at expanding the search scope on the third day of the operation, with the total search area divided into six sectors.

Earlier, the Head of Basarnas, Mohammad Syafii, stated that the technology aboard KRI Canopus includes underwater drones, a multibeam echo sounder, and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that can assist in detecting and mapping underwater conditions to locate victims and parts of the vessel.

As of Tuesday morning, Basarnas confirmed that 114 victims had been found, comprising 108 survivors and six deceased individuals, leaving 129 people still missing out of the total 243.

Of the 114 victims found, 110 have arrived in Banjarmasin, consisting of 108 survivors and two deceased victims.

Meanwhile, the evacuation of the remaining four deceased victims via air transport is still underway.

The Virgo Transport 8 ferry was carrying 243 passengers and reportedly lost contact in the waters of Masalembo, Java Sea, on September 13, while en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin after departing on the previous day.