The official death toll from a passenger ferry that capsized and sank in Indonesia's Java Sea rose to 26 on Wednesday, MarineLink Maritime News reported, up from a previously reported 20 as rescuers widened an underwater search.
Officials told MarineLink that the tally was revised after recovery teams located additional bodies during operations that have continued since the vessel went down. Rescuers said they still expected to find more victims as search activity extended to deeper and broader areas of the seabed.
The ship involved was identified as the Virgo Transport 8. The vessel had been carrying 243 people at the time of the accident, according to the report, leaving a substantial number whose immediate fates have not been confirmed in the update.
MarineLink's account said the ferry capsized and sank in the Java Sea, a location cited in the official update. Beyond the change in the death toll and the scale of the search, the report provided no further operational details.
The increase in the confirmed fatalities from 20 to 26 came as investigators and recovery teams continued to work at the site. Authorities and rescuers described the underwater search as ongoing and expanding, reflecting concern that more bodies could yet be located beneath the waterline.
In its coverage dated 23 September 2026 MarineLink conveyed the latest official figures and the expectation among rescuers that the casualty list would continue to rise. The outlet’s report serves as the most recent public update incorporated into this account.
Search widened as operations continued
Rescuers have broadened the underwater search area, the report said, with teams focusing on locating and recovering those still unaccounted for. Officials indicated they expected further recoveries as search efforts covered additional sectors of the seabed.
Numbers remain provisional
The figures given by authorities remain provisional and subject to revision as the operation proceeds. The updated death toll and the total number of passengers carried, 243, were the principal statistics released in the 23 September update from MarineLink Maritime News.
The situation remains fluid and the official count may change as divers, sonar teams and other search resources press on with recovery work. At this stage the details published by MarineLink provide the latest confirmed snapshot: a ferry named Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people, capsized and sank in the Java Sea and the official death toll has been raised to 26, up from 20, with rescuers expecting more bodies to be found as the underwater search widens.