Rescuers were searching for 140 people on Sunday after a passenger ferry overturned in severe weather in Indonesia’s Java Sea. Authorities deployed navy vessels and helicopters as the search continued around the last known location of the ship.
The Virgo Transport 8 was sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province. Its manifest recorded 243 people, comprising 213 passengers and 30 crew members. The 119-metre ferry was carrying 89 vehicles as well.
Rescue workers had brought 103 people off the vessel. One of those evacuated was reported to have died. Authorities also recovered the bodies of six passengers. The brief did not clarify how those reported figures relate to one another.
Communication with the ferry ended at about 2 a.m. on Sunday. The captain had reported that the vessel was listing in rough seas, where waves reached up to three metres, before making a distress call. The Banjarmasin rescue agency was informed two hours after contact was lost.
The ferry’s last reported position was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said an aerial search found the vessel overturned and still afloat.
By Sunday afternoon, rescue teams had support from eight vessels, including four navy ships, and two helicopters. Those evacuated were due to be transported to an East Java port.
The Virgo Transport 8 was built in Japan in 1987 and operated between Surabaya and Banjarmasin. Rough weather and waves of up to three metres were reported before the distress call. Information available in the brief does not establish whether the capsizing involved any structural, mechanical or other factors.
The identities of the missing people and those who died were not provided. It also remained unclear whether the overturned ferry would be salvaged. Global Affairs said it had received no reports of Canadians affected by the incident.
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