Search and rescue operation ongoing after Virgo Transport ۸, with ۲۴۳ people on board, lost contact with its operator.
Published On ۱۳ Sep ۲۰۲۶
One person has died and ۱۰۲ have been evacuated from an Indonesian passenger ferry that lost contact in the Java Sea during a storm, an official said.
The Virgo Transport ۸, with ۲۴۳ people on board, lost contact with its operator in the early hours of Sunday, according to Indonesia’s search and rescue agency.
Recommended Stories
list of ۲ itemsend of list
It had sailed from Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java on Saturday and was heading for Banjarmasin, a port city on Borneo.
Rescuers are searching for the remaining passengers and crew.
The ship encountered rough weather, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the local search and rescue office in Banjarmasin.
The ferry’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about ۸۱ nautical miles (۱۵۰km) from Banjarmasin, the AFP news agency reported.
Rescue ships and a helicopter have been searching the area, where Sudayana said waves as high as ۲.۵ metres (۸.۲ feet) have hampered the operation.
“It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is ۴۰ metres [۱۳۱ feet] long, is at great risk,” Sudayana told reporters, referring to the country’s search and rescue agency.
Last month, a fire on a ferry sailing between Bali and Lombok killed one person and left five missing. In July, a ferry carrying more than ۷۰ people sank near Selayar Island, south of Sulawesi.
