One dead as Indonesian ferry carrying 243 loses contact in Java Sea

One person has died and 102 others have been rescued from a passenger ferry carrying 243 people after it ran into difficulties in the Java Sea, an Indonesian official said.

A search and rescue operation was launched after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport 8 as it encountered bad weather, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said, as reported by BBC.

The vessel was travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and was last reported at around 02:00 local time on September 13, approximately 150 kilometers south of Banjarmasin.

The search for the remaining passengers is continuing, with rescue ships and a helicopter deployed to the area. Other vessels operating in the Java Sea have also been alerted and instructed to report any signs of passengers.

Rescuers are using modern equipment, including a Starlink satellite terminal, and have stepped up operations due to the large number of people who were on board the ferry.

The incident comes after a separate ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Madura Island last month, killing five people.

By Jeyhun Aghazada