JAKARTA — Indonesian rescue teams are searching for 140 people missing from a passenger vessel that vanished in the Java Sea on Sept. 13. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it lost contact early that morning during a voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Rescue ships and a helicopter evacuated 103 people from the vessel. One of those rescued later died. I Putu Sudayana, head of the search and rescue agency's Banjarmasin office, said multiple ships assisted in the evacuation. Some evacuated passengers and crew will be transported to a port in East Java.
The ship lost contact during reports of bad weather in the area. Officials have not disclosed what caused the vessel to lose contact or its current condition. The rescue agency has not yet provided details on the cause of the incident.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on its ferry network for transportation. Millions of citizens depend on sea routes as a more affordable alternative to air travel.
The country has a history of maritime accidents. Enforcement of safety standards across its numerous sea routes remains inconsistent, contributing to a comparatively high rate of accidents involving passenger vessels.
