A passenger ship carrying around 240 people has lost contact in the Java Sea while travelling from Indonesia's East Java province to South Kalimantan on Borneo island. A search and rescue operation has been launched to locate the vessel and the people on board. The incident came to light after the ship, which was travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, suddenly went out of contact while sailing through the Java Sea. Authorities have begun a search operation and a rescue vessel has been sent towards the ship's last known location.
A passenger ship carrying 240 people went out of contact in the Java Sea while travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan, prompting Indonesian authorities to launch a search and rescue operation on Sunday. The vessel, identified by authorities as "Virgo Transport 8", was travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when communication with the ship was lost. The incident came after the vessel reportedly encountered bad weather during its journey.
Ship loses contact while heading to South Kalimantan
The South Kalimantan Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin said it received information that the ship's communication system had malfunctioned. The vessel had departed from Surabaya, the capital of East Java, at around 10:13 am local time on Saturday and was headed towards Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. According to the initial information, the ship's last known location was in the Java Sea, around 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin.
Search operation launched for 240 people
Following the loss of contact, a rescue team was dispatched from the Basirih Search and Rescue Pier in Banjarmasin. A rescue vessel was also sent towards the ship's last known location. Search and rescue teams are currently working to locate the vessel and establish contact with those on board.
Bad weather reported before communication loss
I Putu Sudayana, head of the local search and rescue office, said the ship's operator informed authorities about the incident after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather. The operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of communication with the vessel. Authorities subsequently began efforts to trace its location and determine the condition of the passengers and crew. At the time of the initial reports, there was no information about any casualties.
The search operation remains underway, with authorities continuing efforts to locate the passenger ship and establish the safety of the 240 people on board.
(With inputs from AP)
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