A ferry capsized due to severe weather conditions in Indonesia’s Java Sea on Sunday, leaving around 130 individuals, including passengers and crew, unaccounted for, according to rescue officials. So far, at least 107 people have been rescued, and the remains of six passengers have been recovered as the search efforts intensified around the last known coordinates of the vessel.
Officials reported that the ferry, which was carrying over 240 individuals, was en route from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island.
The captain of the vessel had indicated rough seas with waves reaching up to three meters before sending a distress signal, stating that the ship was beginning to list, as noted by I Putu Sudayana, who leads the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office. Subsequently, authorities received updates suggesting that the ferry had capsized.
The Banjarmasin rescue agency reported that it was alerted two hours after communication was lost with the Virgo Transport 8 at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday.
A rescue ship was dispatched to the last known location of the ferry, according to Sudayana, and by Sunday afternoon, teams were deployed with support from eight vessels, including four naval ships and two helicopters.
Rescued Survivors and Recovered Bodies
Preliminary information indicated that the ferry’s last known position was in the Java Sea, roughly 148 kilometers from Banjarmasin. The ship’s manifest listed 243 individuals on board—213 passengers and 30 crew members—though discrepancies between actual passenger numbers and manifest records are common in Indonesia. Additionally, the ferry was transporting 89 vehicles.
Sudayana, coordinating the search operations, reported that by Sunday afternoon, rescue teams, aided by nearby tugboats and other ships, had successfully rescued 107 individuals and retrieved six bodies.
The Virgo Transport 8 ferry, measuring 119 meters, was constructed in Japan in 1987.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that aerial reconnaissance revealed the ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk. He informed the press that rescue operations were focusing on the area surrounding the capsized vessel.
Global Affairs confirmed that they had not received any reports indicating that Canadians were among those affected by the incident.
A woman faints after learning that a relative’s name was on the passenger list of the ferry that capsized in adverse weather conditions in the Java Sea, at the rescuers command center in Banjarmasin on Sunday. (Iman Satria/The Associated Press)
Distraught Families Await Updates at the Port
Numerous relatives congregated at a command center located in Trisakti port, Banjarmasin, anxiously waiting for news regarding their loved ones believed to be on the ferry. Many were seen checking passenger lists and rescue updates as authorities continued their search for survivors.
“I was in disbelief when I spotted my uncle’s name on the passenger manifest,” shared a woman named Bunga. “However, I felt a sense of relief when officials informed me that he had been rescued.”
As an archipelago comprising over 17,000 islands, ferries are a prevalent mode of transport in Indonesia. Unfortunately, maritime disasters occur frequently, often attributed to inadequate safety regulations.
Last month, at least 211 passengers were rescued from an Indonesian ferry that caught fire in turbulent waters near the popular tourist destination of Bali, with one individual confirmed deceased and four others still unaccounted for.
This incident transpired less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire in waters off the main island of Java, resulting in at least five fatalities.
Sunday’s tragedy follows just four days after a fire that devastated a passenger ferry in the Philippines, claiming at least 76 lives, with at least 10 individuals still missing.