6 Dead, 130 Missing After Indonesian Ferry Sinks in Java Sea - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea on Sunday after being hit by bad weather, according to local authorities.

The Virgo Transport 8 was traveling from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, to Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan, when its operator lost contact with the vessel early Sunday.

Officials said six people had died, while 107 were brought to safety and about 130 passengers remained missing.

“We have carried out efforts to search for victims to the fullest extent. There were passengers who ... had already been successfully evacuated by the units at the scene,” I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, told reporters, as quoted by DW.

The ship departed Surabaya on Saturday at 10:13 a.m. local time (0330 UTC) and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin at about 2 p.m. Sunday. The operator lost contact with the vessel amid bad weather.

“The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather,” Putu said in an earlier video briefing.

At 4:30 a.m. local time, a six-person rescue team was sent to the Basirih SAR Pier in Banjarmasin. From there, the team traveled toward the vessel’s estimated last known position, with the journey expected to take about five hours.

Rescuers deployed a helicopter and several rescue vessels to search the area.

The operation is being coordinated with local port and maritime authorities, the Indonesian Navy and police, as well as agencies responsible for navigation, transportation and emergency response.

The ship’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometers (92 miles) from the Basirih SAR Pier in Banjarmasin, according to the Associated Press.

Putu said authorities were mobilizing available personnel and equipment because of the large number of people aboard while coordinating with maritime authorities and monitoring weather conditions in the area.