Indonesia searches for over 120 missing after ferry overturns in Java Sea
At least 129 people remain missing after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsized in the Java Sea, with more than 100 rescued and six bodies recovered.
A ferry carrying more than 240 passengers and crew capsized in the Java Sea on Sunday, prompting a large-scale rescue operation. The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, was en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when its captain reported three-metre waves and a distress call before losing contact.
Rescue teams, including navy ships, helicopters and tugboats, have rescued 108 people and recovered six bodies, while the search for the remaining 129 missing continues. The ship’s manifest listed 243 people on board, though actual numbers often differ from official records.
"Aerial searches showed the ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk," Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi told reporters.
The 119-metre ferry, built in Japan in 1987 and recently sold to PT Virgo Karya Shipping, was also carrying 89 vehicles. Survivors were taken to hospitals in Banjarmasin, and relatives gathered at the port awaiting information.
Authorities have deployed a dozen vessels and two helicopters to the last known position, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin, and continue to coordinate the effort from the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.