Indonesia considers raising sunken ferry as search for 129 missing continues

JAKARTA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities are considering raising a ferry that sank in the Java Sea as search operations continued Tuesday for 129 people still missing among the 243 people aboard.

Rescue personnel carry a body bag containing a victim of the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ferry, which capsized on September 13 carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew while en route from Banjarmasin to Surabaya, at Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan on September 15, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

The KM Virgo Transport 8 is lying at a depth of about 30 meters, Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said Monday evening. Authorities are considering towing the wreck to shallower waters for the next phase of the operation.

The Indonesian Navy has advised leaving the vessel undisturbed for the time being while rescuers focus on locating victims, Syafii said.

"We still very much hope that victims will soon be found alive," he told a press conference in Banjarmasin.

As of 10 p.m. Monday, 108 survivors had been rescued and six bodies recovered, leaving 129 people unaccounted for.

Search teams were operating across six sectors, which could be adjusted based on updated information, authorities said.

The ferry lost contact early Sunday in waters off Masalembo while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.