Indonesian search and rescue teams have recovered additional bodies from the wreckage of a ferry that capsized in the Java Sea two weeks ago, bringing the official death toll to 64. The vessel, identified as the Virgo Transport 8, was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it lost contact with its operator shortly after leaving Surabaya for Borneo island. Only 108 people have been rescued since the incident.
According to Yudhi Bramantyo, the Operation Director of the National Search and Rescue Agency, rescue teams successfully retrieved four bodies from inside the submerged ferry on Friday. An additional seven bodies were located along nearby shorelines. Currently, 71 individuals remain missing and are all presumed dead.
In response to the ongoing recovery efforts, the search operation has been extended for an additional seven days. Officials plan to evaluate the progress of the mission every three days to determine if further extensions are necessary. While Indonesian regulations typically limit search-and-rescue operations to seven days, authorities have the discretion to continue if they believe additional victims may still be found.
Ferries serve as a vital method of transportation across Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands. However, maritime disasters are a regular occurrence in the region, with weak safety enforcement often blamed for the frequency of these incidents.
