103 rescued as Indonesian ship goes missing in Java Sea

Indonesian search and rescue teams have rescued 103 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 passengers and crew lost contact in the Java Sea on Sunday (September 13). 

The vessel, identified as the Virgo Transport 8, was en route from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when communication was cut off at around 2:00 AM Central Indonesian Time. 

Search and Rescue (SAR) officials confirmed that the ship encountered severe weather conditions in the Java Sea, roughly 80 nautical miles from the Basirih SAR Dock in Banjarmasin, shortly before losing contact.

The Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office received an emergency alert at around 4:10 AM and immediately dispatched joint rescue teams to the coordinates. 

Of the 243 people on board, 30 are confirmed crew members while the rest are passengers. 

Emergency personnel successfully evacuated 103 survivors during the initial search operations on Sunday morning. Search efforts remain ongoing to locate the remaining 140 individuals still unaccounted for. Authorities noted that no casualties have been confirmed so far as operations continue in difficult sea conditions.

-SA