Rescuers are searching for 140 people after an Indonesian passenger ship sank in the Java Sea, while 103 others have been evacuated and one of them has died, a search and rescue agency official said.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it lost contact with its operator in the early hours of Sunday, according to Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, reports Al Jazeera.
The ship left Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java on Saturday and was travelling towards Banjarmasin, a port city on Borneo.
Rescuers are now searching for the remaining passengers and crew. The ship encountered rough weather, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the local search and rescue office in Banjarmasin.
The ferry’s last known position was in the Java Sea, around 81 nautical miles (150km) from Banjarmasin, the AFP news agency reported.
Rescue ships and a helicopter are searching the area, but waves reaching 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) have hampered the operation, Sudayana said.
“It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres [131 feet] long, is at great risk,” Sudayana told reporters, referring to the country’s search and rescue agency.
The sinking comes after a series of recent ferry accidents in Indonesia. Last month, a fire on a ferry travelling between Bali and Lombok killed one person and left five others missing.
In July, another ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar Island, south of Sulawesi.
