Death toll from Indonesia ferry sinking jumps to 64

Jakarta, Indonesia - The death toll from the sinking of a ferry in the Java Sea has risen to 64, an official announced on Saturday, as rescuers continue to search for the remaining 71 people missing. The Virgo Transport 8, a passenger ferry carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members, lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Surabaya on Java island and headed towards Banjarmasin on Borneo island.

According to Yudhi Bramantyo, a spokesperson for the National Search and Rescue Agency, out of the total 243 individuals onboard, 172 have been rescued, 108 survived, 64 died, while the search continues for 71 people. On Saturday, rescuers recovered four bodies from the submerged vessel, and seven more were found along the coastline.

Bramantyo informed a news conference that the search operation would be extended for an additional seven days but will be reassessed every three days. Generally, search-and-rescue missions in Indonesia last for seven days, and authorities can prolong them based on factors such as the possibility of recovering some victims. However, Indonesia's marine accidents are often caused by lax safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions, which are common in the vast Southeast Asian archipelago with over 17,000 islands that heavily rely on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.