The Death Toll from the Sinking Indonesian Ship Rises to 66

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The death toll from the Indonesian ferry capsizing earlier this month has risen to 66 people today, Monday, as search operations continue for 69 passengers still missing on the sixteenth day of the search.

The ferry (Virgo Transport 8) was carrying 243 people, including 30 crew members and an unknown number of vehicles, when it capsized in bad weather early on September 13 during its journey from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.

Indonesia relies on ferries to navigate its 17,000 islands, as sea travel is cheaper and more accessible than air travel, but many accidents have occurred.

Hardiansyah Putra, a senior official at the country's search and rescue agency, said today, Monday, that divers have been moving through the unstable wreckage on the sixteenth day of the search, adding that they are targeting to find the missing passengers in the cabins.

The agency's figures indicate that the current death toll stands at 66 people, with 108 individuals having survived, while 69 are still missing.