Rescue teams from Indonesia are searching for 140 people from a passenger ship reported missing in the Java Sea, after 103 people were rescued, one of whom died, according to authorities.
The ferry Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people and lost contact amid bad weather while traveling from the port of Surabaya to Banjarmasin.
Indonesia is an archipelago of 17,000 islands and heavily relies on ferries as a means of transportation, since maritime routes are more economical and accessible than air transport.
The head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, I Putu Suyadana, stated: “We received the report about the loss of contact with the ship Virgo Transport 8 and immediately mobilized personnel and the (ship) KN SAR Laksmana 241 to the last known position.”
The passenger and cargo ship had departed on Saturday from Surabaya, on the island of East Java, and lost contact with the company during Sunday morning after facing bad weather during its journey to Banjarmasin, in South Kalimantan, according to the ship owners to the rescue office.
“Considering the relatively large number of passengers and crew on board, we are optimizing coordination with all relevant elements to speed up the search process and ensure everyone’s safety,” the rescue entity added.
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According to Sudayana, the last known position of the vessel was in the waters of the Java Sea, about 15 kilometers from the port of Banjarmasin.
The head of the rescue office indicated that 103 people had been evacuated using different vessels and that some were transferred to a port in East Java.
Search and rescue operations began on Sunday morning with the participation of personnel from the navy, police, and the company.
The teams deployed personnel, vessels, and a helicopter to the last known position of the ferry. Sudayana did not specify what had happened to the vessel.
