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.
Ship lost contact after bad weather
According to officials, the passenger vessel, identified as Virgo Transport 8, was travelling from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, towards Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan. The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office said it received information that the vessel had experienced a communication failure during the journey. Search and Rescue Office chief I Putu Sudayana said the ship’s operator informed authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather.
The ship’s last known location was in the Java Sea, around 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin, according to the initial information available to authorities.
Rescue team sent to last known location
The ship’s operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of contact to authorities. According to the information provided, the vessel left Surabaya at around 10:13 am local time on Saturday. Following the report, a rescue team was deployed from the Basirih Search and Rescue Pier in Banjarmasin. A rescue vessel was also sent towards the last known possible location of Virgo Transport 8.
Authorities are currently trying to establish the vessel’s exact whereabouts and assess the situation of those on board.
No casualties reported so far
There have been no immediate reports of casualties in the incident. However, as the ship has remained out of contact, the search operation is continuing. The Java Sea is the area where the vessel was last known to be located while travelling towards South Kalimantan.
Officials are coordinating the search and rescue efforts as they attempt to locate the passenger ship and determine what happened after it lost communication. The operation remains underway, with authorities closely monitoring the situation and working to establish contact with the vessel.
(With inputs from AP)
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