Indonesia ferry sinks in Java Sea, about 130 missing after bad weather

An Indonesian ferry carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea after sending a distress call in rough weather. The disaster has triggered a wide rescue operation as anxious families await word on around 130 missing people.Stock photo used for illustrationAbout 130 passengers and crew are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people sank in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday, Indonesian 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 was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province. Authorities said rescue teams, backed by four vessels including a navy ship and a helicopter, were deployed after the vessel sent a distress message and later sank.I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said the captain had earlier reported rough seas with waves of up to 10 feet before sending out a distress call saying the ship was listing. Authorities later received information that the vessel had overturned and then sunk.The rescue agency in Banjarmasin said it received a report about two hours after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport 8 at around 2 am on Sunday. The ship had left Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, for Banjarmasin on Borneo Island. "The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather," Sudayana said in a video briefing. Sudayana said a rescue ship was sent to the ferry's estimated last known position. Initial information placed the vessel in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship's manifest showed 243 people on board - 213 passengers and 30 crew members - though officials noted that passenger numbers in Indonesia can differ from the manifest.Search teams, helped by nearby tugboats and other passing vessels, had rescued 107 people and recovered six bodies by Sunday afternoon, Sudayana said. He added that the agency was working with maritime authorities and other agencies while keeping a close watch on weather conditions in the area. The Japanese-built Virgo Transport 8 is designed to carry both passengers and vehicles. Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command centre at Trisakti port in Banjarmasin on Sunday 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 Bunga, who uses a single name. "But I felt relieved after officials told me he had been rescued."Ferries are a common way to travel in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and accidents happen regularly. Last month, at least 211 people were rescued from an Indonesian ferry that caught fire in rough seas near Bali, while one person died and four remained missing. The latest sinking also came less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire off Java, killing at least five people, and four days after a passenger ferry fire in the Philippines killed at least 76 people, with at least 10 others still missing. Sunday's accident left rescuers searching for around 130 missing people after 107 were saved and six bodies were found.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 13, 2026 14:54 IST