BANJARMASIN (TABIRkota) – Divers from the Basarnas Special Group (BSG), part of the National Search and Rescue Agency, successfully recovered another victim from the wreckage of the KM Virgo Transport 8 on Sunday afternoon.
The recovery occurred at approximately 14:14 WITA on the eighth day of the search operation.
Basarnas Chief, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafi’i, stated that the victim was located by BSG divers inside the ship’s hull.
"After being located, the victim was evacuated by the Joint SAR Team to the KN SAR Kamajaya," he said in Banjarmasin on Sunday.
The victim was subsequently airlifted using a Basarnas HR 3601 helicopter via a hoisting rescue net technique.
"This technique was used to lift the victim from the ship to the helicopter safely," he explained, adding that all SAR units continue to maximize efforts to recover victims from the vessel, which sank in the Java Sea on Sept. 13. "Today’s recovery is the result of the hard work of the entire Joint SAR Team."
Basarnas will continue the search while prioritizing the safety of all personnel in the field.
Officials emphasized that each victim recovered represents a solemn responsibility to be returned to their family.
The Joint SAR units are optimizing the use of divers, marine assets, and air support around the KM Virgo Transport 8 site. (ra)
