Indonesian passenger ship overturns, sparking search for about 130 missing

In Indonesia's Java Sea, a passenger ferry named Virgo Transport 8 capsized on Sunday due to rough seas, leaving around 130 passengers and crew members missing, according to rescuers. Of the 243 people onboard, 107 were rescued while six bodies were recovered by Sunday afternoon. The vessel, built in Japan in 1987 and carrying 89 vehicles, was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province when it reported rough seas with waves up to 3 meters high and issued a distress call listing.

The captain reported the incident to authorities at around 2 a.m. Sunday. The rescue agency received the distress call two hours later, and a rescue ship was dispatched to the vessel's last known position. By Sunday afternoon, rescue teams, aided by eight vessels, four navy ships, and two helicopters, had managed to rescue 107 people and recover six bodies.

The remaining missing persons are reported to be scattered around the overturned ferry. The incident has left many family members anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones, as the search operation continues in the archipelago nation where ferries are a common mode of transportation.