The underwater search team also captured the first visual images of the sunken ferry, said Ribut Eko Suyatno, Deputy for Search and Rescue Operations and Preparedness at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
Speaking to journalists at Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, on Saturday, he said the discovery will be formally reported to Basarnas and the Ministry of Transportation.
During the same day’s operations, a land search team led by Banyuwangi Police Chief Senior Commissioner Rama Samtama Putra recovered the body of a woman found by a fisherman in Bali.
The fisherman discovered the body about 4 kilometers offshore near Pengambengan Village in Jembrana, Bali.
Meanwhile, Basarnas has extended the search operation for humanitarian reasons until July 14. This follows an earlier three-day extension that ended on July 11.
Suyatno said the agency will later reevaluate whether another extension will be needed.
As of Saturday evening — the 10th day of search efforts — the confirmed death toll stood at 18, with 30 survivors and 17 people still unaccounted for.
The roll-on/roll-off ferry was carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles when it departed Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, at 10:56 p.m. on July 2. It sank en route to Gilimanuk Port in Bali around 11:35 p.m.
In response to the tragedy, President Prabowo Subianto has instructed all relevant government agencies to make every effort to locate and rescue the remaining missing passengers and crew.
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Translator: Novi H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Anton Santoso
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