Helicopter Held Ready as Search for Virgo Transport 8 Victims Continues
Kabarsaji.com – Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency has placed an HR 36012 helicopter on standby at sea as the operation to locate people from the KM Virgo Transport 8 continues across the Java Sea. The aircraft is intended to provide rapid evacuation support if rescuers locate additional victims in the expansive search zone.
The maritime emergency has entered its seventh day, with search crews working across waters between Java and Kalimantan after the passenger vessel capsized in the Masalembo area. Teams are still attempting to account for 126 people listed as missing from the ship’s manifest.
Aircraft Assigned for Emergency Evacuations
I Putu Sudayana, who leads the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office and coordinates the SAR mission, said the helicopter is positioned to respond quickly when victims are found. Its role is especially important because search vessels may be operating far from the nearest suitable evacuation point.
“One aircraft is on standby for evacuations if more victims are found,”
Sudayana made the statement at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The helicopter was assigned to one of four operational sectors established by maritime search teams. While vessels scan the water and investigate possible debris or survival equipment, the aircraft is focused mainly on evacuation readiness.
The four sectors together cover roughly 6,200 square nautical miles. That vast area illustrates the difficulty facing rescuers: survivors, life rafts, wreckage, and other traces of the accident can drift in different directions as currents and weather conditions change. Dividing the waters into sectors allows search assets to cover the area more systematically while keeping communications and rescue responsibilities organized.
Life Rafts Found During Saturday’s Search
On Saturday, the KN SAR Wisanggeni 236 located an empty life raft while conducting a search near the location of the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident. The discovery added to the number of rafts recovered since the vessel went down.
“About nine liferafts have been found. Six washed ashore in Seruyan, Central Kalimantan, while the other three were found near the wreck in the Java Sea,”
The presence of life rafts is a significant part of the continuing search effort, though an empty raft does not by itself establish what happened to those who may have used it. Search personnel must examine each discovery alongside the vessel’s manifest, survivor information, and the locations where debris or equipment has been found.
Six of the approximately nine rafts were discovered after reaching Seruyan in Central Kalimantan. Three others were found near the overturned vessel in the Java Sea. These separate locations underscore how widely material from the ship may have spread after the accident.
Victims Still Being Accounted For
As of 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, authorities had confirmed 117 victims. That total included 108 survivors and nine people who had died. With 243 people recorded on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest, 126 remained unaccounted for at that time.
For families awaiting information, the figures reflect an operation that remains active rather than a final accounting. Confirming each person’s status requires rescuers and authorities to match those found at sea or on shore with the passenger list, while also gathering missing-person details from relatives. Accurate identification is essential as the search develops and as reports arrive from multiple coastal areas.
The KM Virgo Transport 8 had departed Surabaya, East Java, for Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, carrying 243 people on September 12, 2026. The route crosses busy waters linking Java and Kalimantan, but conditions changed during the voyage.
The ship encountered severe weather and communication with it was lost at about 2 a.m. local time on September 13. Later that day, the vessel was found capsized in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea. The discovery triggered a large-scale search involving maritime crews, rescue vessels, and aerial support.
Search Focus Remains on the Open Sea
Keeping a helicopter ready for evacuation gives the operation added flexibility. A rescue vessel may need time to reach a person or group found far from its position, while an aircraft can help move victims for medical assistance when conditions allow. In an emergency spread over thousands of square nautical miles, that capability can be critical.
The search remains centered on locating the 126 missing people, while teams continue to monitor areas near the capsized ship and places where survival equipment or debris may wash ashore. Each new life raft, sighting, or survivor account can help guide the next phase of the operation.
For now, the HR 36012 helicopter remains part of the response force offshore, prepared to evacuate any additional victims found during the continuing search for those aboard the KM Virgo Transport 8.
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