Java Sea ferry overturns: Around 140 missing, 102 rescued in Indonesia

Virgo Transport 8 overturned in rough weather in the Java Sea, leaving about 140 people missing. The accident has intensified a large rescue effort and renewed focus on ferry safety in Indonesia.

In Short

• Virgo Transport 8 was sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when trouble struck
• The captain reported 10-foot waves before sending a distress alert
• Rescuers expanded the search with maritime agencies, tugboats and nearby vessels

Indonesian rescuers said about 140 passengers and crew were missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday. At least 102 people were rescued and one passenger was found dead as the search widened around the vessel's last known position.

The ferry, Virgo Transport 8, was travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan province. Officials said the rescue operation was being expanded with help from maritime authorities and nearby vessels, while weather conditions in the area were being closely monitored.

I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office, said the captain had earlier reported rough seas with waves of up to 10 feet before sending a distress message saying the ship was listing. Authorities later received information indicating that the vessel had overturned. Sudayana said, "The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather."

The rescue agency in Banjarmasin, a city in South Kalimantan, said it received a report about two hours after contact was lost with the ferry at about 2 am on Sunday. A rescue ship was then sent to the estimated last known position of Virgo Transport 8, and officials said all available personnel and assets were being mobilised because of the large number of passengers and crew on board.

The ship had left Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, in East Java at 10:33 am on Saturday and was due to reach Banjarmasin on Borneo island at about 2 pm on Sunday. Initial information placed its last known position in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship's manifest said it was carrying 243 people, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, though officials noted that passenger numbers in Indonesia often differ from the manifest.

Sudayana, who is coordinating the search, said the agency was working with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies. Search teams, assisted by nearby tugboats and other vessels, had rescued 102 people and recovered one body by Sunday afternoon. The Japanese-built Virgo Transport 8 is designed to carry both passengers and vehicles.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries for travel, and such accidents occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed. Last month, at least 211 people were rescued from an Indonesian ferry that caught fire in rough seas near Bali, while one person died and four others remained missing. Less than two weeks earlier, another Indonesian ferry, Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off Java, leaving at least five people dead. Sunday's accident also came four days after a fire destroyed a passenger ferry in the Philippines, killing at least 76 people, with more than 10 others still missing.

To sum up, rescuers were searching the Java Sea on Sunday for about 140 missing people after Virgo Transport 8 overturned in bad weather during its journey from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, with 102 survivors rescued and one body recovered so far.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends