Jakarta, ThedailyID — Five victims of KM Virgo Transport 8 have been identified and their bodies were handed over to their families on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The victims were Nurul Rian Hidayat from Pamekasan, Deny Ridzal Saputra from Kediri, Imam Soeparno from Surabaya, and Erick Maisul Latif and Risyan Kurnia Putra from Garut.
The identification process was carried out through the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) procedure. Deputy Transportation Minister Suntana had confirmed the plan on Tuesday night.
“Today, several bodies underwent DVI examination and were identified. God willing, tomorrow the five bodies will be flown to their respective regions,” Suntana said on Wednesday, September 16.
Police in each region will escort the bodies from the arrival point to the victims’ family homes.
Previously, another victim, Reyner Fausta Yosilianto from Malang, had been identified. His body was handed over to his family and buried on Tuesday, September 15.
As of Wednesday, search teams had found 114 victims. Six of them had died, while 129 others remained missing.
Suntana said authorities suspect some of the missing victims could still be trapped inside the vessel. Therefore, the joint SAR team has focused its search around the shipwreck.
“Based on the passenger manifest we received from the port of origin, there are passengers as mentioned earlier. Therefore, the SAR team wants to speed up the search and recover victims who are believed to still be inside the vessel,” Suntana said.
Meanwhile, Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office chief I Putu Sudayana said the operation would focus on the wreckage area. Previous searches covered a wider radius but did not find further victims.
The operation also involves KRI Canopus, a Navy vessel equipped with an echosounder and underwater drones. The equipment can support searches both on the surface and underwater.
KM Virgo Transport 8 lost contact in the Java Sea at around 2 a.m. WITA on Sunday, September 13. The vessel had departed Surabaya for Banjarmasin on Saturday, September 12, carrying 243 passengers, crew members and other personnel.
