Diver SAR Team Recovers Another Victim from KM Virgo Wreckage

RRI.CO.ID, Banjarmasin - A joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team has recovered another deceased victim from the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident in the waters of Masalembo, Java Sea, on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Divers from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Special Group (BSG) found the victim while searching inside the hull of the sunken vessel.

“The victim was found at 2:14 p.m. local time,” Basarnas Head Mohammad Syafii said in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Sunday.

The victim was evacuated to KN SAR Kamajaya at 3:15 p.m. by lifeboat. The evacuation then continued by air. At 4:22 p.m., a Basarnas HR 3601 helicopter transported the victim from the KN SAR Kamajaya to the Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarbaru.

The victim was later taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Banjarmasin for further processing and identification.

Syafii said all SAR units continue to intensify the search for the remaining missing victims, deploying dive teams, marine assets, and air support around the vessel’s location. “All SAR elements are making every effort in the search and evacuation of victims,” he said.

He emphasized that personnel safety remains a priority in every search and evacuation operation.

As of 4 p.m. local time on Sunday--the eighth day of the SAR operation--118 people have been accounted for out of the 243 listed on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest, including this latest recovery.

Of that number, 108 were found alive, and 10 were found deceased. Meanwhile, 125 others remain missing.

The KM Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya, East Java, on September 12, 2026, bound for Banjarmasin with 243 people on board. The vessel reportedly encountered bad weather and lost contact on September 13 at around 2:00 a.m. local time. Later that same day, the ship was found capsized in the waters of Masalembo, in the Java Sea.

Basarnas and joint SAR units continue search and rescue operations, which have been extended for another seven days. (Misni Parjiati)