Death toll from Indonesia’s ferry sinking jumps to 64

The death toll from the sinking of a ferry in Indonesia's Java Sea has risen to 64, according to a statement from the National Search and Rescue Agency. The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members when it lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Surabaya on Java island, heading towards Banjarmasin on Borneo.

Out of the 243 people on board, 172 were successfully evacuated, 108 survived the incident, 64 tragically lost their lives, and 71 remain missing and under search. Yudhi Bramantyo, an official at the agency, announced these figures during a press conference. Rescuers recovered four bodies from the submerged ship on Saturday, and seven more were found along the shoreline.

The search operation will continue for an additional seven days, though it will be reassessed every three days. Such search-and-rescue operations typically last seven days in Indonesia, and authorities can extend them based on various factors, including the possibility that some victims might still be recoverable. Given Indonesia's vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands, marine accidents are a recurring issue, often attributed to lax safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions.