Search for Indonesia ferry victims moves into 'salvage operation': navy

Indonesian authorities were preparing on Friday to right a capsized passenger ferry that went down in the Java Sea last week, a navy official said, with dozens of people still missing.

The Virgo Transport 8 carried 213 passengers and 30 crew when it lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Indonesia's second city of Surabaya on Java island on Sunday, headed for Banjarmasin on Borneo island.

At least six people have died and 129 are missing, according to the national search and rescue agency, Basarnas. Some of the victims are feared trapped inside the vessel, which is now submerged.

An expert team has been brought in to assist the operation to right the ferry, local navy commander Galih Nurna Putra told reporters on Friday.

"The salvage operation is underway," Galih said, adding that "there was an observation yesterday".

The head of the Banjarmasin search and rescue agency, I Putu Sudayana, said teams would be able to resume the recovery of bodies once the vessel is righted.

Before that process is completed, divers face risks if they try to enter the capsized ship, he said.

"We understand the psychological condition of the victims' families, but please also understand the situation faced by the joint search and rescue team, because they must also pay attention to (operational) safety."

The capsized vessel has drifted from its original position and sunk farther into the sea, from an initial depth of 21 metres (69 feet) to 29 metres, Basarnas operation director Yudhi Bramantyo said on Thursday.

Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.

Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are the main reasons for the disasters.

On Thursday, rescuers formally called off a search for eight people, including five journalists sent to cover a volcanic eruption, nearly two weeks after their speedboat went missing in waters between Java and Sumatra islands.