Indonesia ferry disaster: death toll rises to nine, 126 still missing

Banjarmasin,UPDATED: Sep 18, 2026 15:22 IST

Rescue teams in Indonesia on Friday recovered three more bodies from a ferry that capsized on Sunday, taking the confirmed death toll to nine, while 126 people remained missing. Officials said preparations were under way to salvage the wreckage.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it got into trouble in rough seas while travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo island. A total of 108 people have been rescued so far.

Colonel Galih Nurna Putra, commander of the Banjarmasin Naval Base, said divers entered the wreck through a window and recovered the bodies of two men and a woman. He said the bodies would be transferred to Banjarmasin.

The ferry's captain issued a distress call on Sunday, reporting that the vessel was listing in waves reaching 3 metres. Authorities lost contact with the ferry at around 2 am and learned about two hours later that it had overturned in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin.

According to the manifest, the vessel was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members, although passenger numbers in Indonesia often differ from official records. The 119-metre ferry, built in Japan in 1987 and operated there until last year, was also carrying 89 vehicles.

Yudhi Bramantyo, operations director at Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency, said, "We've discussed for the next steps and have prepared all the equipment needed to begin salvage operations." He said the overturned ferry had drifted about 453 metres south-east from its original position and was resting at a depth of 29 metres, compared with about 21 metres at the initial sinking site.

Bramantyo said the vessel remained partially visible because of the relatively shallow water and clear conditions. He added that authorities had found no fuel leakage or signs of oil pollution around the wreck.

After several days of poor weather, divers and members of the Indonesian navy's special forces unit reached the wreck on Thursday. Earlier attempts had been hampered by strong winds, high waves and currents that at times reached 12.6 kph. Divers installed guide ropes to support underwater operations and reported unusually clear visibility around the wreck, allowing them to see the hull from stern to bow, Bramantyo said.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common mode of travel, and such disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed. On Thursday, authorities also ended an unsuccessful 10-day search for eight people, including five photojournalists, who went missing while travelling by speedboat to Anak Krakatau volcano to report on its eruption. Overall, officials said the ferry death toll had risen to nine, 108 people had been rescued, and efforts were continuing for the 126 still missing as salvage operations were being readied.

With PTI Inputs

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