Death toll from Indonesia ferry sinking jumps to 64

Jakarta, September 27 - The death toll from a ferry sinking in Indonesia's Java Sea has risen to 64, officials announced, as search efforts continue for the remaining missing passengers and crew. The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew members, departed from Surabaya, Java island, with the destination being Banjarmasin on Borneo.

Out of the 243 people on board, 172 have been rescued, 108 survived the ordeal, and 64 tragically lost their lives, with 71 still unaccounted for, according to Yudhi Bramantyo, a National Search and Rescue Agency official. Rescuers recovered four bodies from the submerged ship yesterday, and seven more were found on the shoreline.

Yudhi stated that the search operation will be extended by another seven days but will be reassessed every three days. Such incidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a sprawling Southeast Asian archipelago of over 17,000 islands, where maritime transport is crucial for daily life and tourism. Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions frequently contribute to these maritime disasters.