Indonesia ferry disaster: Death toll rises as search continues for over 120 missing passengers

Death toll in Indonesia ferry disaster reaches 20. Following the tragic incident search and rescue operations continue in the Java Sea following the tragic capsizing of the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8.

The vessel was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan with 243 people on board, including 30 crew members, when it was struck by severe weather and high waves.

Emergency responders have successfully rescued 108 passengers, while recovery efforts have confirmed multiple fatalities and left more than 100 people still unaccounted for.

Severe weather, high waves, and strong underwater currents have heavily complicated recovery work, prompting authorities to coordinate specialized salvage operations and deploy naval diving units and remote-operated equipment to reach the submerged hull.

As of Wednesday, the total death toll stood at 20, with 115 people still missing and 108 survivors, he said.

Rescuers found five bodies on Monday, four on Tuesday and one on Wednesday morning, Syafii added.

Wednesday's search would focus on looking for more bodies in the ship's cabins, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency.

Divers managed to break the windows of the cabins on Tuesday but could not enter due to murky water and strong currents, making it impossible to retrieve bodies that had already been spotted.

"Our underwater search is focused on the ship's hull. That is where we are concentrating because we have found many passengers trapped inside the cabins," he said.

Search and rescue operations have been extended until Sunday next week. Authorities said efforts to right the ship were underway, but it remained capsized on Wednesday, September 23.