Death Toll Rises to 20 in Passenger Ship Sinking in Indonesia 10 Days Ago

The death toll from a recent passenger ship sinking in the Java Sea, Indonesia, has risen to 20.

According to Reuters and other sources on the 23rd (local time), the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency stated that 20 people have died and 115 remain missing as of this day due to the sinking of the passenger ship "Bergo Transport 8," which occurred in the Java Sea near Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on the 13th.

The number of survivors is 108.

The death toll had been tallied at 10 as of the 16th, but surged rapidly as bodies were recovered consecutively in recent days.

At the time of the accident, a total of 243 people were on board the passenger ship, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members.

Mohamad Syafi'i, head of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, explained, "Over the past three days, the Coast Guard and the Navy have recovered eight additional bodies from inside the wrecked vessel," adding, "Two more bodies that washed ashore in Central Kalimantan, 253 kilometers away from the accident site, were also found."

The Banjarmasin rescue authorities stated that they plan to focus on searching the interior of the passenger ship's cabins, which are submerged at a depth of 30 meters.

The previous day, rescue workers managed to break the cabin windows, but were unable to enter the interior due to strong currents and poor visibility.

Rescue authorities plan to expand the search area to vehicles loaded on the passenger ship, but the search is facing difficulties as many vehicles are tangled together.

I Putu Sudayana, the head of the Banjarmasin rescue team, said, "The diving team could be in danger," and added, "We will search if it is possible and safe."

The Indonesian government plans to extend the search and rescue operations until the 27th and also work on righting the tilted hull.

Earlier, in the early hours of the 13th, the Bergo Transport 8 sank in waters near Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

In Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands, ships are used as a primary means of transportation along with airplanes.

However, due to lax safety regulations, it is common for the actual number of passengers to differ from the passenger manifest, and maritime accidents caused by bad weather or fires are frequent.

In 2018, a passenger ship carrying about 200 people sank in a volcanic crater lake in North Sumatra province, resulting in 167 deaths.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.