Death toll from Indonesia ferry sinking jumps to 64

The death toll from a ferry sinking in Indonesia's Java Sea has risen to 64, according to a senior official on Saturday. The incident occurred almost two weeks ago when the Virgo Transport 8, carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members, lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city on Java island.

The ship was en route to Banjarmasin on Borneo. Out of the 243 individuals on board, 172 have been rescued, 108 survived the sinking, and 64 have lost their lives. As of now, 71 people remain missing and are the subject of ongoing search efforts. National Search and Rescue Agency official Yudhi Bramantyo announced these figures during a press conference.

So far, four bodies have been recovered from the submerged vessel, while seven others were found along the shoreline. Bramantyo stated that the search operation will be extended for an additional seven days but will be reassessed every three days. Search and rescue operations in Indonesia typically last for seven days, and authorities can extend them based on various factors, including the potential for recovering some of the victims.

Marine accidents are common occurrences in Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago of over 17,000 islands that heavily depends on boat connections for daily commutes and tourism.