Indonesian rescuers plan to right capsized ship

Indonesian rescuers plan to try to right a passenger ship that capsized in the Java Sea last weekend as persistent strong currents and big waves prevent them from making an underwater search of the overturned vessel for the 129 people still missing.



The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a 20-hour voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it capsized in bad weather early on Sunday. Six people died and 108 survived the incident, tallies that have not changed since Sunday.



The national rescue agency and Indonesian Navy will make an assessment on Thursday on the plan to turn the capsized ship back over, including what equipment was needed, the agency's chief Mohammad Syafii told a press conference late on Wednesday.



"We plan to salvage the vessel by turning it upright and then conduct the search and evacuation. Once we are certain the operation is complete, the ship will be towed away for the investigation," Syafii said, adding local and foreign experts had been consulted.