Tension as Ferry Carrying 243 People Goes Missing in Java Sea in Indonesia

• Indonesian authorities lost contact with the passenger vessel Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea at around 2 a.m. on Sunday
• The ferry departed Surabaya on Saturday morning, carrying 243 people bound for South Kalimantan province
• Search and rescue teams were mobilised from Banjarmasin after the ship's operator reported the vessel had encountered bad weather

Indonesian search and rescue teams launched an emergency operation on Sunday after authorities lost contact with a passenger ferry carrying 243 people across the Java Sea, bound for South Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo.

The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, at 10:13 a.m. on Saturday before communication with the vessel broke down at approximately 2 a.m. local time on Sunday.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan, confirmed it received notification of the missing vessel roughly two hours after contact was lost.

What happened to the Virgo Transport 8

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I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said in a video briefing that the ship's operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, alerted authorities after learning the vessel had run into bad weather.

The ferry's last known position placed it in the Java Sea, around 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin. At the time authorities first disclosed the incident, no casualties had been reported.

Sudayana said the response reflected the gravity of the situation, with all available personnel and assets mobilised given the significant number of people on board.

Coordination was also established with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies, while officials maintained close monitoring of weather conditions across the affected stretch of sea.

Rescue operation ongoing

A rescue vessel was dispatched from Basirih pier in Banjarmasin and directed towards the area where the Virgo Transport 8 was last estimated to be.

As the operation progressed, 102 people were successfully rescued, and one fatality was confirmed.

Search and rescue teams continued combing the area for the remaining passengers, with operations still underway at the time of reporting.

Source: YEN.com.gh