140 missing after Indonesian passenger ship loses contact in Java sea, search operations underway

Indonesian rescue teams are actively searching the Java Sea for 140 people after a passenger ship lost contact amid severe weather conditions.

The ship, named Virgo Transport 8, was carrying a total of 243 people. It departed on Saturday from Surabaya (East Java) and was heading toward Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan) before losing contact early Sunday.

In an earlier statement, the country's search and rescue agency said the Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, East Java, to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin on Borneo before losing contact.

"At the time of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted and its whereabouts are unknown," the agency said.

According to I Putu Sudayana, head of the search and rescue agency's Banjarmasin office, 103 people have been evacuated by various vessels. Tragically, one of the rescued individuals has been confirmed dead.

Authorities have deployed dedicated search teams, multiple rescue vessels, and a helicopter to the ship's last known coordinates to locate the remaining 140 unaccounted-for passengers as an extensive archipelago reliant heavily on affordable maritime transport,.

Officials report, Indonesia frequently faces safety challenges during periods of unpredictable and extreme weather.

Sea transport via ferries is vital across Indonesia's vast archipelago, though maritime incidents remain a frequent concern due to unpredictable weather and varying enforcement of safety protocols.