Follow Al Rai
Indonesian rescue agencies resumed on Monday the search for 129 people still missing from the passengers of a ferry whose sinking in the Java Sea has resulted in the death of at least 6 people.
The ferry "Fergo Transport 8" was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it departed from Surabaya in East Java on Saturday, heading to Banjarmasin in Borneo.
The head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Muhammad Syafrie, confirmed on Monday the death of six people, noting the rescue of 108 people while 129 are still missing.
He said that five aircraft and 17 ships, including naval vessels, have been deployed to participate in the search operations.
He pointed to the intensification of search operations in six sectors that have been identified, prioritizing the search for victims floating on the water surface.
He added that divers and underwater drones will also be deployed to search for victims inside the sunken ferry structure and in its vicinity, after the relief teams have located it.
For his part, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi announced on Monday during a press conference that the ferry, which capsized and sank amid bad weather and waves over two and a half meters high, was not overcrowded, as the number of its passengers was below its maximum capacity of 500 people.
Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, which comprises more than 17,000 islands and relies heavily on maritime transport, partly due to non-compliance with safety standards and weather fluctuations.
Last Monday, contact was lost with a speedboat carrying 8 people near the Anak Krakatau volcano in West Java, and search operations are still ongoing to find the passengers, including 5 journalists sent to cover the volcano eruption.
Know more about this story?Send us a tip
Ask about this report — answers stay grounded in its text.
