At least six people have died and 129 remain missing after a passenger ferry capsized in the Java Sea in treacherous weather. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 people when its captain issued a distress call, reporting the vessel was listing dangerously in rough seas with waves reaching up to three metres (10 feet).
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island. All contact with the vessel was lost at about 2am on Sunday, and roughly two hours later authorities received reports that it had capsized in the Masalembo waters, approximately 148 kilometres (92 miles) from Banjarmasin.
Search and rescue operation
By Monday, 17 ships and aircraft had been deployed for the search, with around 622 personnel drawn from the military, police and other agencies, said Mohammad Syafii, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency. Specialist underwater teams and navy-operated underwater drones were also deployed to bolster efforts and expedite recovery of victims.
"We remain hopeful of finding more survivors," Syafii told a video briefing. On Sunday, search teams, aided by nearby tugboats and other passing vessels, rescued 108 people and recovered six bodies.
Vessel details and passenger manifest
According to the ship's manifest, it was carrying 243 people — 213 passengers and 30 crew members — though it is not uncommon in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers to differ from the official manifest. The vessel was also transporting 89 vehicles.
The Virgo Transport 8, a 119-metre (390-foot) ferry, was constructed in Japan in 1987 and operated there until last year, when it was sold to Indonesia.
Relatives await news
Distraught relatives gathered at a command centre at Banjarmasin's Trisakti port and at a port in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, awaiting news on family members believed to be unaccounted for aboard the stricken ferry. Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Sunday showed the ferry floating upturned in turbulent waters during an aerial search operation.
Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a primary mode of transport. Disasters are a regular occurrence, largely due to lax enforcement of safety regulations.
