Six dead, 130 missing after Indonesian ferry capsizes

Rescuers in Indonesia said at least six people were killed and 130 others were missing after a ferry sailing between the islands of 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 today after departing from Surabaya in east Java.

Basarnas, Indonesia's national search and rescue agency, said in its latest update that six people were killed and 130 were missing. It said 107 people had been rescued.

There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board, the agency added.

Indonesian 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 (local time) it had not sunk yet, but it was capsized," he said at a news conference in Banjarmasin.

Local search and rescue chief I Putu Sudayana earlier said that the ship's captain had reported to its owners before losing contact that the vessel was "tilting".

Rescuers battled waves of up to 8.2 feet to reach the ferry, Mr Sudayana told reporters.

"It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres long, is at great risk," he said.

A Basarnas helicopter has joined the operation, he added.

The vessel's last position had been detected in the Java Sea, around 93 miles from its destination.

Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, said the ship, which was also carrying vehicles, lost contact at 2am this morning.

"We responded quickly to the incident report... Our main focus and top priority at this time is the safety of everyone on board the ship, and we are deploying a coordinated rescue operation," he said.

'Very shocked'

Rescue authorities have established a command centre at the Banjarmasin port, with paramedics and ambulances on standby.

Dozens of relatives and friends of the passengers checked a whiteboard where 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 saddened and very shocked. Until now, I haven't received any more information," said Jenah, who like many Indonesians has only one name.

"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 local and international news agencies, went missing near a volcano, Mount Anak Krakatau, in Banten province. That search is ongoing.

The journalists were sent to cover the volcano's eruption that paralysed Jakarta's main airport and several others.

Last month, a fire on board a ferry killed one person and left five others missing while 211 were rescued in the Lombok Strait off Indonesia's Bali island.

The ferry had been heading from Bali to Lombok when it ran into trouble in the early hours of 12 August.

In July, a ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.