Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Divers joint team from Basarnas Special Group (BSG) and Indonesian Navy was able to locate and recover nine bodies on Wednesday as victims from Virgo Transport 8 ship accident in the Java Sea.
Head of National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Mohammad Syafii, said the nine bodies were recovered from the wreckage of the vessel on the 11th day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation.
“Despite challenging underwater currents and visibility conditions, the joint team of divers persisted in searching the ship’s interior until they successfully located the victims,” Syafii said in Banjarmasin.
The victims were subsequently transferred to the rescue vessel KN SAR Pacitan and airlifted by a Basarnas HR 3601 helicopter to the Sjamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarbaru.
Afterwards, they were transported to Bhayangkara Hospital in Banjarmasin for identification and further processing.
Related news: Indonesia to launch probe into deadly Virgo Transport 8 sinking
Syafii noted the successful recovery of the nine victims was the result of the hard work and courage of the entire SAR team, who continued the search amidst difficult underwater conditions.
“The joint team’s efforts continued. Nine victims were found. Thanks to the courage of BSG and Navy divers who continued searching inside the vessel. We will keep working to provide answers to the families who are still waiting,” Syafii said.
Of the nine fatalities, the dive team initially recovered one body at around 11:20 Central Indonesian Time (WITA). The diving operations then continued, leading to the recovery of eight more bodies. A total of nine bodies were recovered between the morning and afternoon.
Related news: Basarnas finds bodies trapped in sunken Virgo 8 passenger cabins
With the recovery of the nine bodies, Basarnas confirmed that as of 17:00 on Wednesday, 135 people had been accounted for, comprising 108 survivors and 27 fatalities.
Meanwhile, 108 people remained missing and were still being searched for, out of the 243 people listed on the ferry manifest.
The figure does not include a body found by fishermen in the waters of Central Kalimantan on Tuesday (Sept 22).
The body is undergoing identification at Bhayangkara Hospital in Banjarmasin to determine whether the person was a victim of Virgo Transport 8 accident or from another cause.
Related news: Authority urges coastal communities to report missing Virgo 8 victims
Translator: Tumpal Andani, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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