Indonesian Ship With 240 Aboard Goes Missing in Java Sea, Search Underway

JAKARTA, Sept 13: Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation on Sunday for a passenger ship carrying 240 people after it lost contact while sailing through the Java Sea from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, said it received a report that the Virgo Transport 8 had experienced a communication failure while travelling to Banjarmasin from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city in East Java province.

Initial information indicated that the vessel’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin.

Authorities launched search efforts after contact with the vessel was lost. Rescue teams were working to locate the ship and establish the condition of those aboard.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The passenger vessel was travelling between East Java and South Kalimantan when communication was disrupted, prompting authorities to begin search and rescue operations in the surrounding waters.

Officials have not yet disclosed the cause of the communication failure or provided further information on the vessel’s current location.

Further details were awaited as the search operation continued.