Rescuers searching for 140 people from Indonesia passenger ship, official says
- On Sunday, September 13, 2026, the Virgo Transport 8 lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin with 243 people aboard, prompting Indonesian authorities to launch a search operation.
- The vessel's operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of contact after the ship encountered bad weather during its journey; the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office received the report at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday.
- Rescuers deployed a helicopter and ships toward the vessel's last known position in the Java Sea, approximately 148 kilometers from a pier in Banjarmasin, to locate the remaining passengers.
- I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, confirmed that 103 people were evacuated, though one of the rescued passengers died as the search continued for the remaining crew and passengers.
- This incident underscores persistent safety challenges in Indonesia's maritime sector, where inconsistent enforcement across an archipelago of 17,000 islands has contributed to recurring ferry accidents in recent months.
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In Indonesia, a ferry with more than 240 people has sunk on board. Most of the passengers are still missing. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing in rough seas.
At least 140 people are missing after a ferry sank in bad weather in the Java Sea off Indonesia on Sunday night.
A ferry, linking the Indonesian island of Java to the island of Borneo, was shipwrecked on Sunday, 13 September. The accident took place during severe weather. Of the 103 victims rescued out of 243 people on board, the authorities reported a death. - Indonesia: a ferry wrecked in the Java sea, at least one dead and 102 rescued (International).
The vessel was carrying 243 people. The crew had reported that the vessel was facing adverse weather conditions and was tilting
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