INDONESIAN authorities have launched a major search for 130 people still unaccounted for after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry carrying 243 passengers lost contact in the Java Sea, with six deaths confirmed and 107 people rescued.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the government would conduct a comprehensive investigation into the accident in the waters off Masalembo on Sunday.
“The process will be carried out by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) within its jurisdiction,” Dudy said at a media briefing on the handling of the Virgo Transport 8 accident at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said the joint search and rescue operation had so far accounted for 113 passengers, comprising 107 survivors and six people who died. Another 130 remained the subject of search efforts at the accident site.
Basarnas has deployed 15 sea and air assets to maximise the search operation in the Masalembo waters, comprising 11 vessels, one helicopter and three aircraft.
Dudy urged all parties to allow the KNKT to conduct its investigation professionally and independently, based on data and facts, so that the cause of the accident can be established objectively and used to review transport safety measures.
He said the KNKT’s findings would form the basis for improving transport safety management, with the causes and contributing factors identified through the investigation used to strengthen safety standards and prevent similar accidents from recurring.
“The Ministry of Transportation, together with all stakeholders, continues to monitor the handling of this incident until all stages, including the search for and management of all victims of the Virgo Transport 8 accident, are completed,” he said.
Dudy also conveyed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families and assured them that the government and relevant stakeholders would continue monitoring the incident.
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers, was reported to have lost contact in the Java Sea at about 2am local time on Sunday.
The ferry had been sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin after departing on Saturday when contact was lost, prompting Basarnas to intensify the search and rescue operation with additional vessels and aircraft. - September 14, 2026
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