14/09/2026

MONDAY | SEPT 14, 2026

7

Ferry capsizes off Java, six dead, 130 missing

When a disaster response team finally pulled him to safety on Sept 4, Sah’s first question showed how deeply the ordeal had disoriented him. “When I was rescued I first asked, how many days has it been?” Sah, 30, told AFP, while on his way back home in Saptari district yesterday. “He said that it has been 10 days. I thought it had been just a few days.” Sah was among hundreds of workers at hydropower projects hit by the catastrophic Aug 26 flood, triggered by a glacier collapse on the China-Nepal border. Sah’s extraordinary survival was a rare ray of hope after a disaster that killed at least 1,429 people and left more than 5,640 missing, the majority in Nepal. Struggling to hold back tears as friends and family welcomed him with garlands and a cake, Sah recalled how the disaster struck with stunning speed. “I was on duty, and then suddenly an unthinkable flood hit us, with waves that were several metres in height,” he said. Workers had received warnings that floodwaters were approaching, but did not get enough time to escape, he said. “We did get information to stay alert, that a big flood is coming. As much as possible, we tried to be alert and evacuate our friends,” Sah said. “But the water did not give us much time ... we shut down everything, and tried to rescue and evacuate our friends.” Within minutes, however, the tunnel was engulfed by raging waters. Separated from his colleagues, Sah found himself stranded with little idea whether anyone would ever reach him. His faith helped carry him through the days of darkness and isolation. “I survived because of my deep belief and confidence,” he said. “I was chanting a mantra and the divine energy I received because of that allowed BANJARMASIN: Rescuers in Indonesia said at least six people were killed and 130 others were missing yesterday after a ferry sailing between Java and Borneo was hit by bad weather and capsized. The Virgo Transport 8 , carrying 243 passengers and crew, had lost contact with its shipping company early yesterday after departing from Surabaya. Basarnas, Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, said in its latest update that six people were killed and 130 were missing, adding that 107 people had been rescued. There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board, the agency said. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the ship had capsized. “From the information we received, based on helicopter surveillance, the ship capsized but has not sunk. As of 3pm it had not sunk yet,” he said in Banjarmasin. Local search and rescue chief I Putu Sudayana earlier told AFP that the ship’s captain had reported to its owners before losing contact that the vessel was “tilting”. Rescuers battled waves of up to 2.5m to reach the ferry, Sudayana told reporters. “It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40m long, is at great risk,” he said. A Basarnas helicopter has joined the operation, he added. The vessel’s last position was in the Java Sea, about 150km from its destination. Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, said the ship, which was also carrying vehicles, lost contact at 2am. “We responded quickly. Our main focus and top priority is the safety of everyone on board the ship,” Heri Purwanto said. Rescue authorities have established a

o Vessel carrying 243 passengers, crew

command centre at the Banjarmasin port, with paramedics and ambulances on standby. Dozens of relatives and friends of the passengers checked a whiteboard on which the names of people rescued were being updated. Jenah, 26, said she came to the command post for information about her older brother. “I am shocked. I haven’t received any more information,” she said. “He was travelling alone. I hope he survives. I couldn’t contact him since last night.” 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 Monday, a speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists working for news agencies, went missing near Mount Anak Krakatau in Banten province. The journalists were sent to cover the volcano’s eruption. – AFP

Relatives of missing passengers gather as a rescue officer writes updates on a whiteboard in Banjarmasin yesterday. – AFPPIC

Myanmar revokes status of UN envoy YANGON: Myanmar said yesterday its UN ambassador, loyal to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is occupying the office illegitimately, as the organisation prepares to weigh his replacement. The United Nations formed a credentials committee this month to decide whether to accept Naypyidaw’s candidate for UN ambassador or stick with Kyaw Moe Tun, who has for more than five years ignored the government’s claims that he no longer represents Myanmar. The Foreign Ministry said Kyaw Moe Tun was “dismissed from civil service” effective Feb 27, 2021 for not complying with state orders, committing treason and colluding with “terrorist organisations”, according to a statement published in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. The ministry also accused Kyaw Moe Tun of misusing state funds and property, including the premises of the UN Permanent Mission of Myanmar in New York, and working with the exiled opposition “National Unity Government” (NUG), which the government has branded a terrorist group. “Kyaw Moe Tun’s continued representation of Myanmar at the United Nations does not constitute formal recognition of his legitimacy,” the ministry said. “Rather, his continued status is merely a temporary arrangement, with the Credentials Committee decision deferred annually.” The members of the UN committee, who will weigh whether to replace Kyaw Moe Tun, include the Bahamas, Belgium, Benin, China, Jamaica, Russia, Uganda, the United States and Vanuatu. The committee generally announces its annual credentials decisions around November. Pro-democracy groups and the parallel civilian government, the NUG, have helped Kyaw Moe Tun retain his position through international advocacy and lobbying campaigns. The Myanmar government said it is working through Interpol, the United States National Central Bureau, American agencies and diplomatic channels to seek legal action against him. Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war since a military coup in 2021 ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, ending the country’s decade-long experiment with democracy. – AFP/Reuters

Nepal tunnel survivor recounts ordeal SAPTARI: For 10 days, Nepali hydropower worker Sanjay Sah survived in darkness inside a flooded tunnel, drinking muddy water and losing all sense of time as he desperately prayed for rescue.

Sah being greeted by his mother at his residence in Saptari. – AFPPIC me to not be scared or fall into despair,” he said. “I was able to stay there.” With no clean water to drink, he survived on whatever he could find. “There was water, but it was muddy. I only had that,” he said.

never gave up hope of seeing her husband again. “God has helped us, we had our hopes,” she said, holding her daughter in her arms. Sah, who spent several days recuperating in a Kathmandu hospital, says he has mixed emotions. “I am happy, but I feel sad too. I was able to get a second life, to survive there. But many of our friends were there,” he said. As rescuers continue searching through the tunnels, Sah urged authorities not to abandon the effort. One Chinese worker was rescued on Sept 5, the day after Sah but no one has been found since then. “I hope the government continues its search. It is possible there might still be someone alive. “Or they will be able to find bodies and hand them over to their families.” – AFP

The darkness and isolation might have been overwhelming, but Sah was not entirely alone. Another trapped worker, Kabir Maharjan, 45, had survived nearby. “We were separated but speaking to each other.” The ability to hear another human voice offered a lifeline to Sah. Eventually, after days of excavation and painstaking rescue efforts, search teams broke through to the trapped men and brought them out alive. Sah’s wife, Lakshmi Kumari Sah, said she