By Agency Reports
Indonesian authorities have launched a search operation in the Java Sea after a passenger and cargo vessel, Virgo Transport 8, lost contact while carrying 243 people.
At least one person has died, while 103 others have been rescued or evacuated from the vessel, according to Indonesian search and rescue authorities.
The ship was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to South Kalimantan when it encountered bad weather and lost contact with its operator at about 2am on Sunday.
I Putu Sudayana, head of the Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, said the agency was alerted about two hours after contact with the vessel was lost.
He said the ship’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 150 kilometres from Banjarmasin, its intended destination.
Following the alert, rescue authorities deployed personnel and the KN SAR Laksmana 241 vessel to the estimated location of the missing ship.
“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,” Sudayana said.
He added that authorities were coordinating with maritime agencies and other relevant organisations while monitoring weather conditions in the area.
The search operation was being intensified because of the large number of passengers and crew believed to have been on board.
Authorities were still working to account for all 243 people who were travelling on the vessel.
The incident highlights the continuing risks associated with sea transportation in Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands where ferries and other passenger vessels provide an essential and relatively affordable means of transportation.
Marine accidents are not uncommon in the country, with previous incidents involving ferry sinkings, fires and vessels going missing.
Last month, a ferry fire in the Lombok Strait off Bali left one person dead and five others missing, while 211 people were rescued. In July, another ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar, an island south of Sulawesi.
The latest incident comes as Indonesian rescue agencies continue to respond to maritime emergencies across the country’s extensive waters.Headline suggestions: