Indonesia ferry death toll rises to 64 as search for 71 missing continues

The death toll from Indonesia's ferry sinking has risen to 64, a national rescue agency official said on Saturday, as search teams continued looking for 71 people still missing nearly two weeks after the vessel went down in the Java Sea.

How many people died in the Indonesia ferry sinking?

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed on Saturday that 64 people have died after the Virgo Transport 8 sank in the Java Sea. Of the 243 passengers and crew onboard, 172 have now been accounted for: 108 survivors and 64 deaths. Search teams are still looking for 71 people.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 213 passengers and 30 crew when it lost contact with its shipping company. It had departed Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city on Java island, and was headed for Banjarmasin on Borneo.

"Out of 243 persons onboard, 172 have been evacuated, 108 survived, 64 died, and 71 are still being searched for," National Search and Rescue Agency official Yudhi Bramantyo told a news conference.

How is the search and rescue operation progressing?

Rescuers recovered four bodies from the submerged ship on Saturday, while seven others were found along the shoreline, Yudhi said. He added that the search would be extended for a further seven days but would be evaluated every three days.

Search-and-rescue operations typically last seven days in Indonesia, and authorities can extend them based on factors including an assessment that more victims could still be recovered.

Why do ferry accidents happen so often in Indonesia?

Marine accidents regularly occur in Indonesia, a vast Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism. Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are often the main reasons behind such disasters.