Divers Recover 3 Bodies From Sunken Java Sea Ferry as 126 Remain Missing

BANJARMASIN, Indonesia, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Indonesian divers retrieved three bodies from a passenger ship that capsized and sank in the Java Sea, although more than 100 passengers remain missing, a Navy official told Reuters on Friday.

The divers managed to enter the ship in a salvage operation and found the bodies of two men and a woman, the official, Edy Setyawan, said. But strong currents forced a halt to the underwater search, which would be resumed on Saturday, he added.

"Our golden period to dive is between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m." he said. "After that, the current is unfavourable."

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. 

Nine people have now been confirmed dead, with 108 survivors, but 126 passengers remain unaccounted for.

After strong currents and large waves stymied searchers for five days, authorities decided on Friday to right the ship to make the rescue effort easier.

BODIES RECOVERED AFTER BREAKING GLASS IN WINDOW

Three Navy divers initially intended to install a safety line near the ship early on Friday, when they suddenly glimpsed a floating body through a ship's window, Edy said.

They immediately broke the glass to reach the body, he added.

Murky green water flooded out as soon as the glass was broken, possibly from dirt inside the ship, said one of the divers, Rajab Suwarno.

"After I cleaned it up, we began the evacuation and pulled out the body," he told broadcaster Kompas TV.

Along with two more bodies found later, it will be taken to Banjarmasin on Borneo island, where most of the families were waiting, said Edy, adding that Friday's underwater search involved 17 Navy personnel.

OPERATION BEGINS TO RIGHT THE SHIP

Indonesia began the operation to right the ship that had sunk to the seabed after staying partially afloat for days, authorities said. 

The aim is to pull the ship into shallower water before pulling it right side up, said Galih Nurna Putra, a Navy commander in Banjarmasin. 

"The salvage operation is already underway," he added, following observation carried out on Thursday. "Today the team will likely move toward the location (of the ship)."

The operation will be led by the ship's owner, as Indonesian law requires, and backed by the rescue agency, the navy, and maritime police, said I Putu Sudayana, the head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency.

Indonesia sent eight ships and two helicopters on Friday to scour the waters for survivors, Putu said, although strong winds, currents and waves still hamper the effort.

Two representatives of victims' families were also allowed to join the effort, in order to experience firsthand the harsh weather at the site and the technical challenges of the search, he added.

(Reporting by Awaluddin Jalil in Banjarmasin and Ananda Teresia in Jakarta; Editing by David Stanway)