Indonesia expands search for 129 missing after Java Sea ferry capsizes
Seventeen ships and aircraft, specialised underwater teams and navy-operated drones have joined the operation after the Virgo Transport 8 overturned in rough seas.
Indonesian authorities have intensified the search for 129 people reported missing after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsized in the Java Sea, with six people dead and 108 rescued.
The National Search and Rescue Agency said 17 ships and aircraft were involved in the operation on Monday, carrying about 622 personnel from the military, police and other agencies. Specialised underwater teams and navy-operated underwater drones were also deployed to support the search and evacuation effort.
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when its captain issued a distress call, reporting that the vessel was listing in rough seas. Waves were reported to have reached three metres, and contact was lost at about 2am on Sunday.
Authorities later received information that the vessel had overturned in the Java Sea’s Masalembo waters, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin. Nearby tugboats and passing vessels assisted in rescuing people and recovering bodies.
The ship’s manifest listed 243 people aboard, including 213 passengers and 30 crew, as well as 89 vehicles. Authorities cautioned that actual passenger numbers can differ from manifests in Indonesia.
The precise cause of the capsizing has not been established. Relatives gathered at ports in Banjarmasin and Surabaya awaiting information about people believed to be aboard and still unaccounted for.
