Agencies, Jakarta – The death toll of the accident on the Virgo Transport 8 ship that capsized and sank in the Java Sea has jumped to 64, an official said on Saturday, as rescuers extended the search for dozens still missing.
The vessel was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew when it lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Surabaya in East Java headed for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Sept. 13.
"Out of 243 persons onboard, 172 have been evacuated, 108 survived, 64 died, and 71 are still being searched for," National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) official Yudhi Bramantyo told a news conference.
Rescuers recovered four bodies from the submerged ship on Saturday, while seven others were found along the shoreline, Yudhi said.
He added that the search operation would be extended a further seven days but will be evaluated every three days.
Search-and-rescue operations typically last for seven days in Indonesia, and authorities can extend them based on factors including an assessment that some of the victims could still be recovered.
Marine accidents regularly occur in Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism. Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are often the main reasons for disasters.