Indonesia ferry search: Divers retrieve three bodies, 126 people missing

Indonesian authorities began salvage operations on Friday to recover bodies and attempt to right the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8, which capsized in the Java Sea in bad weather earlier in the week. Divers were able to enter the vessel and recovered the bodies of two men and a woman before strong currents forced a temporary halt to underwater searching. Officials later said nine people have now been confirmed dead and 108 people rescued. Strong currents, large waves and rough weather had severely limited search efforts for five days, prompting officials to bring in an expert salvage team and specialist divers, including personnel capable of operating at depths greater than 100 metres. Local navy commander Galih Nurna Putra said the salvage operation was under way and that an observation had been made the previous day. The operation, led by the ship’s owner as required by Indonesian law, is being supported by the national search and rescue agency, the navy and maritime police. Rescue agency head I Putu Sudayana said teams plan to tow the vessel into shallower water and then right it so recovery of remaining bodies can proceed more safely; attempting full underwater entry while the ship is upside down remains hazardous because trapped air and empty compartments make the hull unstable and liable to shift. The capsized ferry, lying about 80 nautical miles (148 km) from the Trisakti port command centre in Banjarmasin, had been carrying 243 people on a roughly 20-hour voyage from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it went down. Authorities said 126 passengers and crew remain missing. Indonesia depends heavily on ferries for inter-island travel across its more than 17,000 islands, where sea transport is often more accessible and less expensive than flying.