Basarnas Deploys 15 Assets to Search for Missing Virgo Transport 8 Passengers

RRI.CO.ID, Banjarmasin - Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has deployed 15 sea and air assets to search for passengers still missing after the Virgo Transport 8 accident in the Java Sea.

The deployment on Sunday, September 13, 2026, comprised 11 vessels, one helicopter and three aircraft, as authorities expanded the search area for the missing passengers.

Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii said the maritime assets included Basarnas vessels from Banjarmasin, Surabaya and Makassar that were dispatched to the accident site. Four Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) warships have also approached the area.

"Maritime assets, including Basarnas vessels based in Banjarmasin, Surabaya and Makassar, have been deployed to the accident site," Syafii said in Banjarmasin on Sunday.

The aerial search is being supported by the TNI AL's 400 Squadron in Surabaya, a National Police helicopter and a TNI AL CN-235 aircraft. A Caravan aircraft operated by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has also joined the operation.

Other vessels operating near the accident site have been assisting the search and rescue effort as part of the wider SAR response. Ground personnel from the military, police, ministries and government agencies, along with other SAR resources, are also supporting the operation according to their respective roles.

The expanded response followed an emergency alert issued by the Basarnas Command Center to maritime traffic in the Java Sea, calling on vessels in the area to assist with search and rescue efforts.

Syafii said the operation was being conducted in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines, with Basarnas coordinating all participating units.

"Basarnas is being assisted, particularly by the TNI and National Police, as well as all available SAR resources and ministries and government agencies according to their respective functions," he said.

The joint SAR team has so far evacuated 113 passengers from the Virgo Transport 8. Of those, 107 were found alive and six died. The vessel was carrying 243 people, leaving 130 still missing and the subject of an ongoing search.

Basarnas said the deployed vessels, aircraft and supporting personnel would continue operations to widen the search area and accelerate the evacuation of victims in the Java Sea.

The passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 was sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it encountered bad weather. The vessel departed Surabaya on Saturday, September 12, 2026, and its captain reported worsening weather conditions around midnight.

At about 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, September 13, the captain reported that the vessel was listing heavily. That was the last communication received before the ship lost contact. (Diva Rifdah)