Search continues for 136 missing after Virgo Transport 8 accident

Indonesian search and rescue teams were continuing efforts on Monday, 14 September 2026, to locate 136 people from Virgo Transport 8 after the vessel lost contact in the Java Sea a day earlier while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.

Two vessels carrying evacuees had arrived at Trisakti Passenger Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, by Monday morning, while the number of people rescued or recovered continued to be updated as the search operation progressed.

Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said on Sunday that 107 people had been rescued alive and six had died, while 136 remained missing. The vessel was reported to have been carrying 243 people.

“As of this afternoon [Sunday], Basarnas has successfully evacuated 107 survivors and six deceased victims. A total of 136 passengers are still in the search process,” Dudy said.

The KN SAR Laksmana 241 arrived at Trisakti Port at about 4.21 a.m. local time on Monday carrying one victim. The TB Mauhaw IX arrived at about 5.40 a.m., carrying 16 people, including 15 survivors and one deceased person identified as Mr X. The evacuation of those aboard the vessel was carried out at about 6.30 a.m.

Survivors were subsequently given medical treatment in the Trisakti Port area.

Evacuation from four vessels

Earlier, SAR Mission Coordinator I Putu Sudayana of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office said that by 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, 113 people had been evacuated to four vessels operating near the accident site. The figure comprised 107 survivors and six people who had died.

The TB Mauhaw IX had evacuated 16 people, TB TCP six, MV Haida 69 and KM Cahaya Bahari Jaya 22.

TB Mauhaw IX was due to head towards Tuban Port in East Java, while TB TCP and MV Haida were to travel to Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin.

An SAR Operations Post was established at Trisakti Port on Sunday morning to coordinate the response. Families of passengers and crew began arriving at the post and waited for updates on their relatives.

I Putu said the search would be carried out as extensively as possible with the involvement of all relevant agencies.

“Considering the large number of passengers and crew aboard the vessel, we are optimising coordination with all relevant parties to accelerate the search process and ensure the safety of all passengers and crew,” he said.

Vessel lost contact after bad weather

The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office received a report about Virgo Transport 8 from Yoel Rihi, general manager of PT Virgo, at 4.10 a.m. local time on Sunday.

The vessel, which departed Surabaya at 10.13 a.m. on Saturday, 12 September, reportedly lost contact at about 2 a.m. on Sunday after encountering bad weather while travelling towards Banjarmasin.

Its last known position was in the Java Sea, about 80 nautical miles from the Basirih SAR Pier in Banjarmasin. The vessel had not been reachable and its location was initially unknown.

The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office dispatched a six-member rescue team to the Basirih SAR Pier at 4.30 a.m. on Sunday. The team then travelled towards the estimated last known position aboard KN SAR Laksmana 241, with an estimated journey of about five hours.

Survivor describes lack of warning

A survivor, Ahmad Saudi, told detikKalimantan that there had been no warning alarm when the vessel began to tilt and that crew members had not informed passengers about the situation.

“There was no warning alarm, and no officers informed the passengers either. Everything happened so quickly,” Ahmad said, as reported by detikKalimantan on Monday.

Ahmad said he only realised the vessel was tilting after he woke up and heard passengers running. Another passenger told him that the vessel was already leaning.

He said he held on to a pole and followed the direction of the vessel as it tilted. When the vessel began to overturn, he tried to get out of the ship and find a safe place.

A rubber boat then emerged from the vessel. Ahmad said it was orange and had a capacity of 15 people.

“Luckily, a rubber boat came out of the ship. The rubber boat was orange and could accommodate 15 people. There were 15 of us, all men. It was only for 15 and no more,” he said.

KNKT to investigate cause

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Dudy said the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) would conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

Speaking at a press conference at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin on Sunday afternoon, Dudy said the investigation would establish the cause of the accident and provide a basis for improving transport safety.

“Regarding the cause of this incident, the government will conduct a comprehensive investigation. The process will be carried out by the KNKT in accordance with its authority,” Dudy said.

He urged all parties to allow the KNKT to conduct its investigation professionally, independently and based on facts.

“We do not want to pre-empt the KNKT investigation. Most importantly, hopefully the cause of this accident can be identified clearly and become material for evaluation to improve shipping safety in the future,” he said, as reported by Kompas.com.

Dudy said the findings of the investigation were expected to form the basis for improvements to transport safety.

Search and rescue operations for passengers and crew of Virgo Transport 8 were still under way on Monday, with casualty figures continuing to be updated as the search progressed.