Indonesian rescue teams intensified operations on Monday to locate 129 people still missing after a passenger ferry capsized in severe weather conditions in the Java Sea. The disaster occurred after the vessel encountered high waves, leaving at least six people dead. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 individuals when the captain broadcast a distress call on Sunday, stating the vessel was listing heavily in rough seas featuring waves reaching up to three meters, or 10 feet. The ship was journeying from Surabaya in East Java province toward Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island. Communication with the passenger ferry ceased at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday. Roughly two hours afterward, authorities received reports that the vessel had overturned within the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea, situated about 148 kilometers from Banjarmasin. Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency displayed the overturned hull floating amid choppy waves during aerial reconnaissance. On Monday, Mohammad Syafii, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency, stated that 17 ships and aircraft alongside 622 personnel from the military, police, and other organizations were deployed for the mission. Authorities also incorporated specialized underwater teams and navy drones to enhance search operations and accelerate victim recovery. Search teams, with the assistance of nearby tugboats and passing commercial vessels, managed to rescue 108 survivors and recover six bodies on Sunday. According to the official passenger manifest, the vessel was transporting 243 people, consisting of 213 passengers and 30 crew members, along with 89 vehicles. However, discrepancies frequently occur between manifests and actual passenger counts in Indonesia. Anxious family members assembled at command centers located in Banjarmasin and Surabaya to await updates regarding missing loved ones. The 119-meter Virgo Transport 8 was constructed in Japan in 1987 and operated domestically there until it was sold to Indonesia last year. Ferries serve as a vital mode of transportation across Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, though maritime accidents happen frequently due to lax enforcement of safety regulations.
Source: npr.org
