Indonesian authorities are conducting a large-scale search and rescue operation after the passenger vessel Virgo Transport 8 capsized in the Java Sea on September 13, 2026. As of September 16–17, officials report 108 survivors, at least 6 confirmed fatalities and 129 people still missing from the 243 on board. The navy and Basarnas are reinforcing surface and planned underwater searches as families of the missing press for faster and more transparent action.
The passenger motor vessel Virgo Transport 8, sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, capsized in the Java Sea in the early hours of September 13, 2026 during a scheduled 20‑hour inter-island voyage. According to the Indonesian search and rescue agency Basarnas, the ship carried 243 people, including passengers, crew, drivers and assistants; by late September 16, authorities reported 108 people rescued alive, 6 confirmed dead and 129 still unaccounted for. Naval officials state that the wreck has shifted and now lies below the surface in the Masalembo area, but parts of the hull remain visible underwater, helping rescuers pinpoint the search zone.
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