Rescue efforts are being hampered by strong winds and high waves after a passenger ship travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin lost contact, while Indonesian authorities say 100 people have been rescued and the search for others continues.
JAKARTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 13th Sep, 2026) A passenger ship carrying 243 people encountered an accident in the Java Sea amid severe weather in Indonesia, leaving at least six people dead and around 130 missing, according to reports.
The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency said the ship, Virgo Transport 8, was travelling on Sunday from East Java’s Surabaya to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it ran into difficulties due to severe weather and lost contact.
Authorities said 243 people were on board, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members.
Rescue teams have so far safely evacuated more than 100 people, while a large-scale search operation is under way for those still missing.
Rescue officials said contact with the ship was lost on Sunday morning.
The vessel was later located by helicopter, while ships, helicopters and rescue teams were dispatched to its last known location.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by strong winds and high waves at sea.
Authorities said the operation to search for missing people and evacuate possible survivors would continue.
The exact cause of the accident is not yet known, although initial reports indicate that the ship encountered severe weather conditions.
Authorities have also launched an investigation into the incident.
Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands, and ships and ferry services are considered an extremely important means of transport between the islands.
