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 the island state of Indonesia, a ferry arrives in distress. Other ships can save more than 100 people, but dozens are still missing. Operations teams now have at least six dead.
Rescuers search for 130 people after Indonesia ferry sinks; six dead
Indonesian rescuers were searching on Sunday for 130 people from a passenger ship that sank in the Java Sea after 113 others were evacuated, the country's search and rescue agency said, adding that six people had died. An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people, including 30 crew members,was reported missing after losing contact with authorities early on Sunday during bad…
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