Indonesian rescue authorities resumed operations Monday to search for 129 people still missing after a passenger ferry sank in the Java Sea, killing at least six people.
اضافة اعلان
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it departed Saturday from Surabaya in eastern Java for Banjarmasin on the island of Borneo.
National Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syafi’i confirmed Monday that six people had died and 108 had been rescued, while 129 remained missing.
He said five aircraft and 17 vessels, including warships, had been deployed to take part in the search operation.
Search efforts have been intensified across six designated sectors, with priority given to locating victims who may be floating on the surface, he said.
Divers and underwater drones will also be deployed to search for victims inside and around the sunken ferry after rescue teams identified its location.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said Monday at a press conference that the ferry capsized and sank amid severe weather and waves exceeding 2.5 meters. He said the vessel was not overcrowded, carrying fewer passengers than its maximum capacity of 500.
Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, which consists of more than 17,000 islands and relies heavily on sea transportation. Such incidents are partly attributed to non-compliance with safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions.
Contact was also lost Monday with a speedboat carrying eight people near Anak Krakatau volcano off western Java. Search operations are still underway to locate those on board, including five journalists who had been sent to cover the volcano’s eruption.
Source: (AFP)
