BANJARMASIN (TABIRkota) – A Dauphin helicopter (HR 36012) belonging to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) successfully airlifted a survivor from the KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Java Sea early Sunday morning (Sept 13).
According to Basarnas Banjarmasin spokesperson Singgih, the survivor is Mia Melinda (28), a woman from Kendal.
"The helicopter departed from the waters off Java and landed in Banjarmasin on Monday (Sept 14) at 14:15 WITA, carrying one surviving passenger," he stated at the National SAR Command Post at the Trisakti Port Terminal in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (Kalsel), on Monday (Sept 14).
Upon arrival at Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base, the survivor was immediately referred to the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base Hospital in Banjarbaru for medical treatment.
As of Monday (Sept 14) at 15:30 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 115 victims had been located, comprising 109 survivors and six deceased individuals.
Of the 115 victims successfully evacuated, 86 have arrived at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin—consisting of 85 survivors and one deceased person—along with the one victim evacuated via Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base.Meanwhile, another 28 victims are currently being transported from the incident site to Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, and are scheduled to arrive on Monday (Sept 14) evening.
The KM Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers, reportedly lost contact in the Java Sea on Sunday (Sept 13) around 02:00 WITA while en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (Sept 12).
Various equipment has been prepared to support the SAR operation, including the KN SAR Laksmana 241 vessel, a D-Max rescue vehicle, water rescue and diving gear, communication devices, Starlink, and other support equipment.
Joint sea and air SAR operations are ongoing to sweep the incident site and search for victims.A police helicopter (Polairud Polri) has been placed on standby at Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base to assist with the victims’ evacuation process, and a TNI Boeing AI-7301 aircraft has also been deployed for aerial patrols. (ra)
