A ferry carrying more than 240 passengers and crew overturned in bad weather in Indonesia’s Java Sea early Sunday, leaving about 130 people missing as rescuers searched rough waters for survivors, Reuters reported.
At least six people were confirmed dead and 107 others were rescued after the Virgo Transport 8 lost contact at about 2 a.m. while traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, according to Indonesia’s search and rescue agency.
The ferry’s captain reported rough seas and waves as high as 10 feet before issuing a distress call that the ship was listing, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.
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Authorities later received information that the vessel had overturned. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said aerial searches showed the ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk, and rescuers were concentrating their search around the overturned ship.
By Sunday afternoon, search teams were being supported by eight vessels, including navy ships, and two helicopters, officials said. Nearby tugboats and passing vessels also assisted in the rescue.
One rescued passenger, Rinto Arahab, told Reuters he held onto the ship’s railings after the vessel flipped, then climbed to a higher point as it tossed in the water. “I felt resigned,” he said in Banjarmasin. “I could only pray for my safety.”
Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command center at Banjarmasin’s Trisakti port, checking passenger manifests and rescue lists while waiting for updates. A woman who gave only one name, Bunga, told The Associated Press she was relieved after officials said her uncle, whose name she had seen on the passenger list, had been rescued.
Officials said the cause of the incident remained under investigation, including whether weather, technical problems or human error played a role.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries for transportation. Maritime accidents are common, often blamed on overcrowding, lax safety standards and unpredictable weather.
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