Indonesian divers recover 3 bodies from capsized ferry as salvage operation begins

BANJARMASIN, Indonesia (AP) — Rescue teams in Indonesia on Friday recovered three bodies from a capsized ferry while preparing to salvage the wreckage of the accident Sunday, bringing the confirmed death toll to nine with 126 people still missing, officials said.

Divers entered the wreck through a window and recovered the bodies of two men and a woman. The bodies will be transferred to Banjarmasin, said Col. Galih Nurna Putra, commander of the Banjarmasin Naval Base.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when its captain issued a distress call Sunday, reporting the vessel was listing in rough seas with waves reaching 3 meters (10 feet) while en route from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo island.

Authorities lost contact with the ferry around 2 a.m. Sunday and learned about two hours later it had overturned in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea, about 148 kilometers (92 miles) from Banjarmasin.

According to the manifest, the vessel carried 213 passengers and 30 crew members, though passenger totals often differ from official records in Indonesia. The 119-meter (390-foot) ferry, built in Japan in 1987 and operated there until last year, was also transporting 89 vehicles.

A total of 108 people were rescued, said Yudhi Bramantyo, operations director at Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.

“We’ve discussed for the next steps and have prepared all the equipment needed to begin salvage operations,” Bramantyo said in a video briefing.

The overturned ferry drifted about 453 meters (1,486 feet) southeast from its original position and rested at a depth of 29 meters (95 feet), compared with about 21 meters (69 feet) at the initial sinking site, Bramantyo said.

The vessel remains partially visible because of the relatively shallow water and clear conditions. Authorities have detected no fuel leakage or signs of oil pollution around the wreck, he said.

After several days of poor weather, divers and members of the Indonesian navy’s special forces unit reached the wreck Thursday. Earlier efforts were hampered by strong winds, high waves and currents that at times reached 12.6 kph (7.8 mph).

Divers installed guide ropes to support underwater operations and reported unusually clear visibility around the wreck, allowing them to see the hull from stern to bow, Bramantyo said.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

Authorities on Thursday ended an unsuccessful, 10-day search for eight people, including five photojournalists, who disappeared while traveling by speedboat to Anak Krakatau volcano to report on its eruption.

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

In this photo taken with a smartphone, rescuers carry a survivor from a passenger ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on a stretcher upon arrival at a port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Iman Satria)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, staff remove the body of a victim of a passenger ferry that overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea from an ambulance upon arrival at a hospital in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Iman Satria)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, rescuers wheels a survivor of a sinking ferry on a stretcher upon arrival at a port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Iman Satria)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, survivors from a passenger ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea arrive at a port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Iman Satria)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, rescuers carry a survivor from a passenger ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on a stretcher upon arrival at a port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Iman Satria)

Iran says it has struck an oil tanker trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, South Korea says it is considering expanding the operations of a naval operation in the Gulf of Aden off the Arabian Peninsula to protect its ships and oil routes, but it won't send troops to intervene in the Iran war.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East on Friday. Full coverage can be found here.

Iran said it struck a Togo-flagged oil tanker, the Trend, for what it called an “illegal attempt” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the state broadcaster reported, citing the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the report.

The Guard's navy warned that unauthorized passage through the strait would result in the “destruction” of offending vessels, the broadcaster said. Tehran has asserted control over the waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.

A monitor overnight reported a ship “security incident” 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, which lies on the other side of the strait. The crew was safe and no environmental impact was reported, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

It was not clear if the UKMTO report was describing the attack that Iran claimed.

The U.S. military has been guiding some commercial ships through the strait off Oman as the risk of Iranian attacks continues.

Separately, the UKMTO reported that a tanker on the strait was hit by an “unknown projectile,” causing a fire that was later extinguished. The crew was reported safe, with no immediate indication of environmental damage, it said.

The AP could not independently confirm it, and there was no immediate claim from Iran.

The monitor also said another tanker was struck Wednesday by an “unknown projectile” while transiting out of the strait, with the crew reported safe. It was not clear why the report came late.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said his government is considering expanding the operations of a naval unit deployed in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen and Somalia to protect his country’s vessels and oil shipping routes.

But he stressed that South Korea would not take action drawing it into the U.S.-Iran conflict, pushing back on recent pressure from the Trump administration to get more involved. South Korea has deployed the anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit for years.

The growing threat by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen to shipping in the region has alarmed countries and markets, even though the rebels have said they are only targeting the assets of neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter.

Lee noted the threat to South Korea’s economy and the need to protect its ships but said “there will be no troop deployment that involves or intervenes in the war. I can state that clearly.”

Italy is looking at measures to ensure the safe passage of vessels linked to its national interests through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.

He ordered a review of whether Italian military assets already in the region with a European Union operation could be placed under national command if needed, or whether new parliamentary authorization would be required.

This piece will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Palestinian civil defense crews carry a body from the rubble of a collapsed building that housed displaced Palestinians and was heavily damaged during the Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Armed personnel affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard take part in the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military exercise in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Protesters stage a rally against the possible deployment of South Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. demand for the deployment, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The banners read ''Oppose troop deployment.'' (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)