The search continues for at least 129 people missing after a ferry overturned in bad weather in Indonesia's Java Sea on Sunday. At least 108 people were rescued and six bodies recovered as the search expanded around the vessel's last known position.
The ferry, carrying more than 240 people, was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, on Borneo Island. The captain had reported rough seas with waves up to 3 metres before issuing a distress call saying the ship was listing, said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office. The vessel - Virgo - lost contact at about 2 am Sunday.
The rescue agency in Banjarmasin said it received a report two hours after contact was lost. A rescue ship was headed to the vessel's last known position in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin. By Sunday afternoon, authorities deployed a dozen vessels, including four navy ships and two helicopters.
Initial information indicated the ship's manifest said it was carrying 243 people - 213 passengers and 30 crew - although it is common in Indonesia for the actual number to differ from the manifest. Sudayana said teams assisted by nearby tugboats and passing vessels had rescued 107 people and recovered 6 bodies by afternoon.
The tragedy is depressingly familiar in the Indonesian archipelago. Over 17,000 islands, ferries are lifelines, but overloading, poor maintenance and ignored weather warnings make sinkings frequent. The Java Sea, with its sudden squalls, is particularly treacherous during monsoon transition.
What complicates rescue is the manifest gap. If the real number onboard is higher than 243, the 129 missing figure could rise. For now, families wait at ports, scanning lists that may never be accurate. The sea took the ferry. The system that allows a ferry to sail overloaded in 10-foot waves let it.