Virgo Transport 8 Capsizes in Indonesia’s Java Sea, Leaving Six Dead and 129 Missing

A passenger ferry, the Virgo Transport 8, capsized in Indonesia’s Java Sea during bad weather early on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and another 129 missing, the search and rescue agency said.

“At least six people died and another 129 are still missing”

Reuters

Reuters reported that crews managed to rescue 108 people from the stricken ship and were still searching for any other survivors, while the ship set sail with 243 people, including 30 crew members, from Surabaya in East Java on Saturday.R

ABC News

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said the captain reported rough seas and waves reaching up to three metres before sending a distress message, and authorities received information indicating the ferry had overturned and subsequently sank.

The ferry was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, and families gathered in Banjarmasin after the ship lost contact with authorities.

In a separate account, Al Jazeera said rescuers reported six people killed and 130 missing after the Virgo Transport 8 lost contact with its operator in the early hours of Sunday, with 107 people rescued.

Dudy Purwagandhi told a press conference that a passing helicopter reported the ship had capsized, and he said the cause was still being investigated.

Al Jazeera reported that Sudayana said waves as high as 2.5 metres hampered the operation and that it was “extremely risky for vessels,” adding that even a Basarnas vessel “is at great risk.”

Afriqa Forbs

Reuters said the ship had been heading for Banjarmasin before it lost contact, and it described a woman in Banjarmasin, Putri, saying she had been on the phone to her husband Herman before they lost reception.R

The search continued around the vessel’s last known position, with rescuers expanding operations as they looked for survivors and victims.

Al Jazeera also said authorities had yet to determine the cause of the sinking and that an investigation was under way, with authorities examining factors including the weather and possible technical failures.

Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command centre in Banjarmasin’s Trisakti port, scanning passenger manifests and rescue rosters for news of family members, as the search remained active.

“Hundreds of relatives gathered at the Trisakti port command center”

Northeast Times

A woman identified as Bunga told the AP via local10.com that she was stunned to find a relative’s name on the passenger list, then relieved to learn he had been rescued.

The ferry’s manifest showed 243 people—213 passengers and 30 crew members—while officials cautioned that passenger counts may differ from official records, as Indonesia’s ferry system relies heavily on sea routes.

In addition to the Java Sea sinking, Al Jazeera pointed to other recent ferry incidents, including a fire on a ferry sailing between Bali and Lombok that killed one person and left five missing.

The incident also followed earlier reports of a ferry fire off Java involving the Mutiara Sentosa 2 that killed at least five people, as Indonesia’s archipelago of more than 17,000 islands continues to depend on ferries for transportation.