Rescuers search for 140 people after Indonesian passenger ship sinks
Search and rescue ongoing after Virgo Transport 8, with 243 people on board, lost contact with its operator.
A passenger ship carrying 243 individuals was reported missing on Sunday morning, after losing contact due to rough sea conditions in the Java Sea, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The Virgo Transport 8 set sail from Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday, bound for Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. I Putu Sudayana, head of Basarnas' Banjarmasin office, informed that 103 passengers were evacuated using multiple vessels, with some transported to an East Java port.
Rescuers initiated a search, utilizing a team, ships, and a helicopter to locate the vessel near its last known position. The conditions were perilous, with waves reaching up to 2.5 meters high, endangering the rescue vessels, including a 40-meter-long Basarnas ship. The captain had reportedly noticed the ship tilting before it lost contact.
Heri Purwanto, Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority head, stated that the ship, carrying both people and vehicles, went off the radar at 2:00 am Sunday (6:00 pm Saturday GMT). The priority remains the safety of all onboard, with coordinated rescue efforts underway.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Rescuers scour Java Sea for 140 missing thearabianpost.com
- Rescuers searching for 140 people from passenger ship in Java Sea thejakartapost.com
- Rescuers dispatched as passenger ship goes dark with 240 on board abc.net.au
