Hundreds of Indonesian rescuers continued searching on Monday for 129 people who remained missing after a passenger ferry overturned in the Java Sea, with six fatalities confirmed, authorities said.
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers, encountered trouble in poor weather on Sunday while travelling to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan from Surabaya in East Java, according to Indonesia’s national rescue agency.
Authorities lost contact with the vessel at around 2 a.m. on Sunday. About two hours later, officials received reports that the ferry had overturned in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea, approximately 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin.
Since the incident, 108 people have been rescued, while six others have been confirmed dead.
The search operation was hampered on Monday by rough seas, strong winds and waves reaching up to three metres, said Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s national rescue agency.
A total of 622 personnel, supported by 17 ships and five helicopters and aircraft, have been deployed in the search for the missing passengers, Syafii said.
Rescuers have faced difficulties reaching parts of the overturned vessel because of the dangerous sea conditions. Underwater rescue specialists are also expected to join the operation, but authorities said the deployment would depend on an improvement in weather and water conditions.
“We are waiting for the weather conditions to improve,” Syafii said, adding that strong currents were currently making underwater operations too risky.
Two small boats carrying passengers were also spotted drifting near the capsized ferry amid the rough seas.
Syafii said the weather was particularly severe when the incident occurred, with waves reaching heights of around three metres. The journey from Trisakti port to the accident site normally takes about five hours in favourable weather, but can take as long as nine hours under difficult conditions.
The ferry disaster occurred just four days after a passenger ferry caught fire in the Philippines, killing at least 76 people, while at least 10 others remained unaccounted for.
