A woman reacts upon learning that her relative is among the survivors of the Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people, which met with an accident en route from Surabaya, East Java to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, at Trisakti Bandarmasih Port in Banjarmasin
One person has died and more than 100 others have been rescued after a ferry travelling between the Indonesian islands of Java and Borneo encountered severe weather, rescue officials said on Sunday.
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew members, lost contact with its shipping company early Sunday after departing from Surabaya in East Java.
Local search and rescue chief, I Putu Sudayana, said 103 people had so far been evacuated from the vessel.
“We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people,” Sudayana told reporters in the port city of Banjarmasin, the ferry’s destination.
He confirmed that one passenger had died during the incident.
According to Sudayana, rescuers faced waves as high as 2.5 metres while attempting to reach the stricken vessel, making the operation particularly dangerous.
“It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres long, is at great risk,” he said, referring to Indonesia’s national Search and Rescue Agency.
A Basarnas helicopter has also joined the rescue operation.
Sudayana had earlier told AFP that the ship’s captain reported that the vessel was “tilting” before communication was lost.
The ferry’s last known position was detected in the Java Sea, about 150 kilometres from Banjarmasin.
Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, said the vessel, which was carrying both passengers and vehicles, lost contact at about 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
“We responded quickly to the incident report. Our main focus and top priority at this time is the safety of everyone on board the ship, and we are deploying a coordinated rescue operation,” Purwanto said.
A command centre has been established at Banjarmasin port, with paramedics and ambulances placed on standby, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
Dozens of relatives and friends of passengers gathered at the command post, checking a whiteboard displaying the names of those rescued as authorities continued to update the list.
Jenah, 26, was among those seeking information about her older brother, who was travelling alone.
“I am saddened and very shocked. Until now, I haven’t received any more information,” she said.
“I hope he survives. I couldn’t contact him since last night.”
Marine accidents are relatively common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boats and ferries for transportation and tourism.
Poor safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions have frequently been cited as contributing factors in maritime accidents.
The latest incident comes amid several other recent marine emergencies in the country.
On Monday, a speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists working for local and international media organisations, went missing near Mount Anak Krakatau in Banten province. A search operation remains underway.
The journalists were travelling to cover an eruption of the volcano that disrupted operations at Jakarta’s main airport and several other airports.
Last month, a ferry fire in the Lombok Strait, off Bali, killed one person and left five others missing, while 211 passengers were rescued. The vessel was travelling from Bali to Lombok when it encountered trouble in the early hours of August 12.
In July, another ferry carrying more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.
