Virgo Transport 8 Ship Accident in Java Sea Leaves Six Dead, 107 Safe

BANJARMASIN - The SAR team has evacuated 113 people from the Virgo Transport 8 ship which was involved in an accident in the Java Sea, Sunday. Of these, 107 people were declared safe and six died. Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi said the search and evacuation process was still being carried out for other passengers who had not been found. "We hope that all the passengers who survived are in good condition so that they can return to their families immediately and in good condition as well," said Dudy in a press conference in Banjarmasin, quoted from Antara, Sunday, September 13. Head of Basarnas Mohammad Syafii said the victims were evacuated by a number of ships around the accident site. TB Mauhau IX evacuated 14 survivors, one victim died, and one person was seriously injured. Meanwhile, TB TCP brought one survivor and five victims died. The MV Haida evacuated 69 people in a safe condition, while the KM Cahaya Bahari brought 22 survivors. Based on the provisional data of the SAR operation, the total number of victims who have been evacuated reached 113 people. A number of ships carrying victims are still on their way to the port in Banjarmasin for further handling and data collection. MV Haida, which carried 69 survivors, included a ship that was still heading for the port. "We hope that the survivors can immediately receive treatment and reunite with their families after all the evacuation and data collection processes at the port are completed," said Syafii. The Virgo Transport 8 ship reportedly lost contact at around 02.00 Wita while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin. The ship departed on Saturday, September 12, carrying 243 people. With 113 people evacuated, the SAR operation is still focused on finding and ensuring the whereabouts of other passengers. Basarnas strengthened the search by deploying air elements and a joint SAR ship around the location of the incident.