An Indonesia ferry disaster has left six people dead and approximately 130 passengers missing after a vessel capsized in the Java Sea on Sunday, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported. The passenger ship, identified as the Virgo Transport 8, was carrying 243 passengers and crew members when it lost radio contact with maritime operators during the early hours of the morning. Officials confirmed that 213 passengers and 30 crew members were aboard.
Emergency responders managed to pull 107 survivors safely from the water following the accident. The vessel had departed from Surabaya on Java Island on Saturday and was traveling toward the port city of Banjarmasin on Borneo. Indonesia`s Ministry of Transportation confirmed in a public statement that the ship overturned after encountering heavy squalls at sea.
Dangerous conditions complicated the maritime response.
I Putu Sudayana, the director of the regional search and rescue office in Banjarmasin, informed reporters that sea swells measuring up to 2.5 meters high severely obstructed search teams. Rescue cutters and helicopters deployed across the search area, situated approximately 81 nautical miles from Banjarmasin, faced hazardous navigation. Agency officials emphasized that the turbulent sea conditions presented immediate operational risks even to large response ships.
The vast archipelago of 17,000 islands relies extensively on passenger ferries for affordable inter-island transport, creating recurring safety risks during regional storms.
Ummah Kantho verified that transport authorities in Jakarta have initiated a formal inquiry to investigate whether severe weather or technical mechanical failure triggered the capsizing.
