Search underway for 130 people after Indonesian passenger ship overturns

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 the body of a passenger was recovered as the search operation expanded in waters around the vessel’s last known position.

The ferry was traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan province, officials said.

The vessel’s captain had earlier reported rough seas with waves up to 10 feet before issuing a distress message, saying the ship was listing, Sudayana said. Authorities later received information indicating the vessel had overturned, said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office.

The rescue agency in South Kalimantan’s city of Banjarmasin said it received a report two hours after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport 8. The ship had departed from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city in East Java province, en route to Banjarmasin on Borneo Island.

“The ship’s operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather,” Sudayana said in a video briefing.

In response, a rescue ship was headed to the Virgo Transport 8’s estimated last known position, he said, and authorities were mobilizing all available personnel and assets because the vessel was carrying a large number of passengers and crew.

Initial information indicated the vessel’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship’s manifest said it was carrying 243 people, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, although it is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers to differ from the manifest.

Sudayana, who is coordinating the search, said the agency was working with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies while closely monitoring weather conditions in the area.

Search teams, assisted by nearby tugboats and other vessels, had rescued 102 people and recovered one body by Sunday afternoon, he said.

The ferry departed Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, at 10:33 a.m. Saturday and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin at about 2 p.m. Sunday.