Indonesia ferry overturns in Java Sea, over 130 people still missing

A ferry carrying 243 people overturned in rough seas in Indonesia's Java Sea on Sunday. The disaster has triggered a major search operation as more than 130 people remain missing.A ferry carrying more than 240 people overturned in bad weather in Indonesia's Java Sea on Sunday, leaving about 130 passengers and crew missing, rescuers said. At least 107 people were rescued and six bodies were recovered as search operations widened around the vessel's last known position.The ferry, Virgo Transport 8, was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo Island. By Sunday afternoon, authorities had deployed search teams with eight vessels, including four navy ships, and two helicopters.I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said the captain had reported rough seas with waves of up to 3 metres before sending a distress call, saying the ship was listing. Authorities later received information that the ferry had overturned.The rescue agency in Banjarmasin said it received a report about two hours after contact was lost with the vessel at around 2 am on Sunday. Initial information placed the ferry about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin in the Java Sea. Sudayana, who is coordinating the search, said nearby tugboats and other passing vessels were also helping in the operation. The ship's manifest showed 243 people on board, comprising 213 passengers and 30 crew members, though officials said it is common in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers to differ from the manifest. The ferry was also carrying 89 vehicles. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said aerial searches showed the 119-metre ferry, built in Japan in 1987, was floating upside down and had not sunk. He said rescuers were focusing their efforts around the overturned vessel.Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command centre at Trisakti port in Banjarmasin as they waited for news of family members believed to be on board. Many checked passenger manifests and rescue lists as the search continued. "I was shocked when I saw my uncle's name on the passenger list," said a woman who goes by a single name, Bunga. "But I felt relieved after officials told me he had been rescued." Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies widely on ferries for travel, and such accidents occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed. Last month, at least 211 people were rescued from a ferry that caught fire in rough seas near Bali, while one person died and four remained missing. The incident came less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off Java, leaving at least five people dead. Sunday's accident also came four days after a fire destroyed a passenger ferry in the Philippines, killing at least 76 people, with at least 10 others still missing.The search for survivors continued through Sunday as rescuers worked around the overturned ferry, with more than 100 people brought to safety, six bodies recovered and around 130 others still missing.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 13, 2026 18:16 IST