Operation begins on Indonesian ferry with 126 missing — Al Jazeera
In Indonesia, divers have begun an operation to search for bodies and right the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8, which capsized in the Java Sea. A total of 126 passengers and crew members are considered missing, Al Jazeera reports.
Rescuers confirmed the deaths of nine people, while another 108 survived. On Friday, divers managed to enter the vessel and find the bodies of two men and a woman, but strong currents forced the underwater search to be suspended.
The vessel is planned to be towed
Search operations had been limited for five days due to high waves and strong currents. An expert team and divers capable of working at depths of more than 100 metres were deployed for the operation.
Local navy commander Galih Nurna Putra said that the rescue operation was already underway. According to him, the team plans to first tow the ferry into shallow water and then right it.
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The ferry remains unstable
The head of Banjarmasin's search and rescue agency, I Putu Sudayana, noted that teams will be able to resume the search for bodies after the vessel is righted. Until this operation is completed, dives inside the capsized ferry involve risks for divers.
In accordance with Indonesian legislation, the operation is led by the vessel's owner with support from the search and rescue agency, the navy and the marine police. The ferry remains unstable because of air inside it and empty compartments that could cause a sudden shift of the hull.
Virgo Transport 8 capsized early on Sunday in bad weather during a 20-hour voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. There were 243 people on board.
