Indonesian rescuers have recovered three bodies from a passenger ship that capsized and sank in the Java Sea last weekend, as the search continues for more than 100 people still missing.
Navy official Edy Setyawan said on Friday that divers had entered the vessel and recovered the bodies of two men and a woman.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a 20-hour journey from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it capsized in bad weather early on Sunday.
Rescuers had struggled to locate survivors or recover bodies during the first five days of the operation because of strong currents and high waves. The vessel remained partially afloat for several days before sinking completely to the seabed on Thursday.
Authorities said nine people had now been confirmed dead, while 108 survived the incident. A further 126 people remain unaccounted for.
Banjarmasin Navy Commander Galih Nurna Putra said a salvage operation was under way, with authorities planning to move the vessel to shallower waters and turn it upright to facilitate the search.
“The salvage operation is already underway. An observation was conducted yesterday, and today the team will likely move toward the location of the ship,” he said.
The operation is being led by the ship’s owner, as required under Indonesian law, with support from the rescue agency, navy and maritime police, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency.
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He said rescue and evacuation efforts inside the vessel would begin once it had been turned upright.
“As long as the ship is still at the seabed, the dive team dared only to remain outside the ship,” Putu said.
Eight ships and two helicopters were deployed on Friday to support air and sea searches. Strong winds, currents and waves continued to hamper the operation.
Two representatives of victims’ families were also allowed to join the search to observe the difficult weather conditions and understand the technical challenges facing rescuers.
On Thursday, navy divers approached the vessel and recorded footage, while recovering items including wallets, identity cards and hundreds of water-damaged parcels and plastic-wrapped packages.
