A passenger ferry has sunk in Indonesia’s Java Sea. So far, 103 people have been rescued from the accident, while 140 remain missing. One of those rescued has since died. The information came from rescuers on Sunday.
Local search and rescue authorities said the ship first lost communication early Sunday after running into severe weather. At the time it went missing, the ship, named “Vargo Transport 8,” was carrying 243 passengers in the Java Sea.
The agency said the ship had set sail Saturday from the city of Surabaya in East Java province, bound for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province. Authorities have confirmed it sank en route but have not yet released details of the cause.
I Putu Sudayana, head of the rescue agency’s Banjarmasin office, said in a video message that 103 people had so far been safely evacuated from the accident site with the help of various vessels. Some of the rescued passengers will be taken to a port in East Java.
Authorities have launched a large-scale search effort for the missing. I Putu Sudayana said a special team, several rescue vessels and a helicopter had been sent to the ship’s last known location.
Given its geography as a nation of nearly 17,000 islands, ferries and ships are Indonesia’s main means of domestic transport. As sea travel is far cheaper and more accessible than air fares, ordinary people rely on it heavily.
However, safety regulations for vessel operations in Indonesia are often not strictly followed, resulting in a comparatively high rate of maritime accidents.