Indonesian ferry Virgo Transport 8 leaves 1 dead, 102 rescued, 140 missing

Virgo Transport 8 loses contact amid bad weather

The ferry Virgo Transport 8 departed from Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday and was travelling to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when contact was lost, Indonesia's search and rescue agency said. The vessel was carrying 243 people and encountered bad weather in the Java Sea.

According to Indonesia's search and rescue agency, the vessel's last reported position was about 150km south of Banjarmasin around 02:00 local time on Sunday. "We have received the report regarding the loss of contact with the Virgo Transport 8 vessel and have immediately deployed personnel and KN SAR Laksmana 241 to the estimated last known position," said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.

“Considering the relatively large number of passengers and crew on board, we are optimising coordination with all relevant elements to accelerate the search process and ensure the safety of all passengers and crew.”

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office

Rescue teams pull survivors and record a fatality

Search and rescue ships and a helicopter have been deployed to the scene, and all other vessels in that area of the Java Sea have been alerted to report signs of any passengers. Officials confirmed that 102 people have been rescued, while one person has died.

Local search and rescue chief I Putu Sudayana stated: “We have carried out efforts to search for victims to the fullest extent. There were passengers who...had already been successfully evacuated by the units at the scene. We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people,” adding that one of the rescued passengers died.

“We have carried out efforts to search for victims to the fullest extent. There were passengers who…had already been successfully evacuated by the units at the scene. We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people.”

I Putu Sudayana, local search and rescue chief

Search continues for missing passengers

With 243 people on board, rescue operations are continuing to search for those still missing from the Indonesian passenger ship. Search and rescue operations involve the navy, police, and shipping company, Virgo.

The Indonesian archipelago has more than 17,000 islands, and ferries are a common and affordable form of transport.

Officials cite maritime safety concerns

Maritime safety remains a concern in Indonesia, where ferry accidents have occurred regularly and safety standards have not always been strictly enforced. The incident follows a separate ferry in Indonesia that caught fire off Madura island last month, killing five.

The fate and whereabouts of the remaining passengers and crew were not immediately clear, with search and rescue operations continuing across the area.