Search launched after Indonesian ship with 241 aboard goes missing

Indonesian rescuers have initiated a search operation after a passenger ship carrying at least 241 people went missing in the Java Sea, officials announced on Sunday. The Virgo Transport 8, en route from Surabaya, East Java province, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, lost contact with authorities while navigating through the Java Sea.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin received a report indicating the ship had experienced a communication failure. The vessel's last known position was approximately 148 kilometers away from a pier in Banjarmasin.

The ship's manifest listed 241 passengers onboard, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. Arianto Ardi, operations chief at Banjarmasin's rescue agency, confirmed the loss of communication with the vessel and stated that rescue personnel had been deployed to the area. An operations post was established at Trisakti to coordinate the search efforts. Authorities reported that the ship's operator informed them about the incident following the detection of adverse weather conditions.