KM Virgo Transport 8: search continues after Java Sea ferry disaster

Severe Local Storms

Severity score27 / 100 · Moderate

How the score is calculated

The score starts at 8. It adds points from recorded affected, deaths, displaced and casualty counts, plus terms found in the story title, event type or status. For each count, only its highest matching band is used.

Affected people: 1–999: +5 · 1,000–9,999: +12 · 10,000–99,999: +20 · 100,000–999,999: +28 · 1 million+: +35
Deaths: 1–9: +8 · 10–99: +14 · 100–999: +22 · 1,000+: +30
Displaced people: 1–9,999: +6 · 10,000–99,999: +12 · 100,000+: +18
Casualties: 100 or more: +8
Story wording: +10 for terms such as catastrophe, famine, war, conflict, major earthquake, mass casualty or critical. Otherwise, +5 for active, ongoing, emergency, outbreak, cyclone or hurricane.

Score bands: Watch 0–24 · Moderate 25–49 · High 50–74 · Critical 75–100. Scores are capped at 100. Missing or unparseable figures add no points.

This is a rule-based WorldsAid triage indicator, not an official or independently validated classification. It does not account for recency or local context, and it can understate events with incomplete reporting. Check the linked sources.

Last verified28 Sept 2026

Date: 19 Sept 2026
Status: SEARCH AND RECOVERY · 71 DEAD · 64 MISSING
Aid Zone: ASIA
Countries: Indonesia
Agency: BASARNAS / Indonesian Navy / national authorities

Survivors of the KM Virgo Transport 8 ferry disaster recovering at Banjarmasin port — Survivors recover at the port in Banjarmasin, Indonesia, after the KM Virgo Transport 8 ferry disaster. Photo: WIWIN/EPA via The Guardian

In brief

What happenedIndonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) is continuing the search inside and around the capsized KM Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea.
How many affectedDeaths: 71 · People aboard: 243 passengers and crew · Rescued: 108 people
What help is neededResponse priorities should be confirmed in the linked source reports as needs change.

What changed

Updated verified snapshot

This record was first dated 2026-09-19 and last verified 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00.

Situation

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) is continuing the search inside and around the capsized KM Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea. The 21 September operational observation was 108 survivors, 15 confirmed deaths and 120 people still missing from the working 243-person manifest. The latest Basarnas reconciliation, reported on 28 September, is 108 survivors, 71 deaths and 64 still missing. Two bodies recovered in Seruyan waters on 20 September at 17:26 and 17:29 WITA were only confirmed as KM Virgo victims on the night of 21 September. Their addition is therefore recorded as confirmation and manifest reconciliation, not as two fresh recoveries on 21 September. At the 21 September reconciliation, two previously recovered bodies were confirmed against the manifest; that earlier observation remains dated in the evidence history. The vessel capsized in severe weather on 13 September while travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin. Strong currents, poor visibility and the vessel's enclosed roll-on/roll-off design continue to complicate the operation. Figures remain provisional while authorities continue recovery, identification and manifest reconciliation.

Basarnas reporting carried by ANTARA at 22:00 WITA on 28 September confirmed 179 people accounted for from the 243-person manifest: 108 survivors and 71 deaths, with 64 still missing. This is the current operational reconciliation; all earlier dated observations remain in the evidence history.

WorldsAid verification

A WorldsAid editor reviewed this record against 8 attributed sources, cleaned feed formatting and checked the crisis, place and reporting date. 7 human-impact figures were separated from the narrative and dated where the source allowed. Earlier observations remain in the evidence history instead of being silently overwritten.

Verified figures

Deaths: 71 retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
People aboard: 243 passengers and crew retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
Rescued: 108 people retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
Confirmed deaths: 71 people · Basarnas/ANTARA operational confirmation, 28 September 2026, 22:00 WITA retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
Still missing: 64 people · Basarnas/ANTARA operational confirmation, 28 September 2026, 22:00 WITA retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
Latest reconciliation: 179 accounted for from the 243-person manifest; prior 15-death / 120-missing snapshot preserved in the evidence history retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00
Wreck position: Upside down at about 29 metres depth near Masalembo waters retained at 2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00

What we knew when

2026-09-19WorldsAid record entered the retained historical dataset.
2026-09-17Earlier snapshot retained: six confirmed deaths, 108 rescued and 129 missing preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-18Three additional bodies recovered; confirmed deaths revised to nine and missing count revised to 126 preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-20One additional body recovered; 10 deaths, 108 survivors and 125 people unaccounted for preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-21Basarnas divers recovered two more bodies; 12 deaths, 108 survivors and 123 people remain missing preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-21Interim operational observation retained: 13 confirmed deaths, 108 survivors and 122 people missing preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-21Basarnas reconciliation confirmed two bodies recovered in Seruyan waters on 20 September as KM Virgo victims: 15 deaths, 108 survivors and 120 missing. This is a confirmation/data reconciliation, not two fresh recoveries on 21 September. preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-28T18:00:00+08:00Basarnas via ANTARA: 179 of 243 people accounted for — 108 survivors, 71 deaths and 64 missing. preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source
2026-09-28T22:00:00+08:00Basarnas via ANTARA reconfirmed 179 accounted for: 108 survivors, 71 deaths and 64 still missing from 243 manifest. preserved as a dated, source-linked observation. Source

Earlier figures are never replaced by later values; additional observations are retained as new ledger entries.

Provenance

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Cached dataset: worldsai_drup771.sql.gz

Record integrity:

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