BANJARBARU (TABIRkota) – A helicopter belonging to the Marine and Air Police (Polairud), carrying the body of a victim from the KM Virgo Transport 8, landed at the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Monday evening (Sept 14).
According to the Commander of Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base, Colonel Hilman L.P. Ambarita, the identity of the victim—whose body was evacuated via air—has not yet been established.
"The victim’s body was immediately taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Banjarmasin for identification," he said.
Earlier, an HR 36012 Dauphin helicopter belonging to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) had also successfully evacuated a survivor from the KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Java Sea early Sunday morning (Sept 13).
The survivor, identified as Mia Melinda (28), was immediately taken to the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base Hospital for medical treatment, as she was in a weakened state and had sustained a head injury.
The Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base Hospital has kept medical teams and ambulance units on standby to support the evacuation and treatment of victims.
As of Monday evening (Sept 14), 116 victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 incident had been located, comprising 109 survivors and seven deceased individuals.
Of the total victims recovered, 86 arrived at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin (consisting of 85 survivors and one deceased person), while two others were evacuated via the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base.
The KM Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers, reportedly lost contact in the waters of the Java Sea at approximately 02:00 WITA on Sunday (Sept 13) while en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (Sept 12). (ra)
