Rescuers evacuate 103 passengers of missing vessel in Java Sea

In a tragic incident off the coast of Indonesia, six individuals have lost their lives while 97 others have been rescued from a passenger ferry that went missing in the Java Sea. The Virgo Transport 8 ship, carrying 243 people, encountered severe weather conditions and lost contact with authorities. A search and rescue operation was immediately launched by a joint task force comprising Indonesia's search and rescue agency, navy, maritime police, and other parties.

The ferry was en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, a city in South Kalimantan, when it disappeared around 02:00 local time on Sunday. It was last reported to be approximately 150km (93 miles) south of Banjarmasin. The ship had departed Surabaya on Saturday at 10:33 and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin on Sunday at 14:00.

The search for the remaining passengers is still ongoing, and all vessels in the Java Sea area have been alerted to report any signs of passengers. Ships and a helicopter have been deployed to the scene to aid in the rescue efforts. An operations post for handling the accident was set up at the Trisakti Port area on Sunday morning.

Local resident Rusmilawati traveled to the port to gather information about her eight relatives who were passengers on the ship. She expressed her hope that they had been rescued, as she had not received any updates from authorities regarding their fate. Misnah was overcome with emotion after learning that her husband, Ahmad Supandi, had survived. Ahmad, a freight driver, was among those rescued by the vessel MV Haida.

The tragedy has also affected the families of crew members, including Fredy, who lost his youngest sibling, Stevie Manuhua, who worked as a keyboard player on the vessel. Fredy had last spoken with Stevie two days prior when the ship was docked in Surabaya, but has not received any news since then.