LOST AT SEA

6 Dead and Over 130 Missing After Ferry Capsizes

The vessel lost contact around 2 a.m. after encountering severe weather in the Java Sea.

A ferry carrying 243 people overturned due to severe weather in Indonesia’s Java Sea on Sunday. While over 107 people have been rescued, 130 remain missing and the bodies of six passengers have been found. The Virgo Transport 8 ship was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province when it lost contact around 2 a.m. local time. “The ship’s operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather,” I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, told the Associated Press. “We responded quickly to the incident report,” Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, told the Jakarta Post. “Our main focus and top priority at this time is the safety of everyone on board the ship, and we are deploying a coordinated rescue operation.” Weather conditions in the area are being closely monitored as the search continues for the missing.