A desperate search-and-rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after a passenger-and-cargo ferry carrying 243 people was caught in severe weather and lost contact in the Java Sea, leaving more than 100 people still unaccounted for.
The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it encountered dangerous conditions early Sunday, September 13.
Indonesian authorities initially reported that contact with the ship had been lost at around 2 a.m. after the vessel encountered bad weather. Its last known position was about 148 kilometers from Banjarmasin.
The situation quickly turned into a major maritime emergency.
According to Indonesia’s search-and-rescue authorities, 103 people have been rescued and one person has died. That leaves approximately 139 people still missing, based on the reported total of 243 people aboard.
Rescuers are facing hazardous conditions as they search the Java Sea. Waves reportedly reached around 2.5 meters, making it dangerous even for rescue vessels attempting to reach survivors.
Ship was sailing from Java to Borneo
Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya on Saturday, bound for Banjarmasin, a major port city in South Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
The vessel was carrying both passengers and crew when it encountered severe weather. The ship’s operator subsequently alerted authorities after communications with the vessel were lost.
The latest rescue effort involves Indonesian search-and-rescue personnel, with naval, police and other maritime resources joining the operation.
Families gathered at Banjarmasin’s Trisakti Bandarmasih Port as authorities posted updates on the rescue operation, anxiously waiting for information about their relatives.
Rescue teams racing against dangerous seas
The rescue operation has been complicated by rough seas.
Search-and-rescue chief I Putu Sudayana warned that the conditions were extremely dangerous for vessels operating in the area, with waves making it difficult for rescuers to reach the stricken ferry and its passengers.
The disaster also highlights longstanding concerns about maritime safety in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries and other vessels are essential for transportation.
CNA has previously examined how extreme weather and persistent safety concerns have contributed to a series of deadly maritime accidents across Southeast Asia. Experts have pointed to the combination of increasingly unpredictable weather, difficult sea conditions and weaknesses in maritime safety enforcement as continuing risks.
Search continues for those still missing
For now, the focus remains on finding the passengers and crew who have not yet been accounted for.
The rescue operation is continuing despite dangerous sea conditions, while officials work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the ferry’s capsizing and determine the status of everyone aboard.
With 103 people already rescued but about 139 still unaccounted for, authorities face a race against time as search teams continue scouring the Java Sea.
The final toll could change as the operation progresses.
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