BANJARMASIN (TABIRkota) – As of Sunday (Sept 13) at 12:00 WITA, 103 passengers from the Virgo Transport 8—which reportedly sank in the Java Sea—have been successfully evacuated.
I Putu Sudayana, Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) and the designated SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), stated that of the 103 individuals evacuated, 102 survived while one was confirmed dead.
“The 103 people were evacuated by three different vessels present at the scene: the TB Mauhau 9, TB TCP, and MP Haida,” he said from the main search command post at Tri Sakti Port, Banjarmasin.
The TB Mauhau 9 evacuated 16 people—15 survivors and one deceased individual—who were subsequently transported to Tuban Port, East Java.
The TB TCP reportedly evacuated 38 survivors, while the MP Haida (or Aida) evacuated 49 survivors. The latter group was brought to Tri Sakti Port, Banjarmasin.
I Putu Sudayana noted that the search operation was challenging due to wave heights reaching 2 to 2.5 meters at the scene.
“These conditions posed a significant risk to smaller vessels, so priority was given to using larger ships for the search,” he said.
He added that the search effort was bolstered by a Basarnas helicopter deployed from Surabaya to conduct aerial searches.
“The Indonesian Minister of Transportation and the Head of Basarnas are scheduled to visit Banjarmasin in person to provide directives and strengthen team coordination for the search and rescue operation,” he added.
Basarnas Banjarmasin has noted the circulation of a social media video purportedly showing a victim’s body.
However, the footage has not yet been verified or validated by the Search and Rescue (SAR) team.
Consequently, the public and the media are urged to refrain from hastily sharing videos or information that have not been confirmed as accurate, to avoid causing confusion and distress—particularly for the passengers’ families. (ra)
