BANJARMASIN, INDONESIA (MNN); At least six people were killed and 129 others remained missing after the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 capsized in rough seas in Indonesia’s Java Sea early Sunday, authorities said.
Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, Basarnas, said 108 people had been rescued, while search teams continued operations for survivors.
The vessel was carrying 243 people, including 30 crew members, when it departed Surabaya in East Java on Saturday for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. Authorities said the ship lost contact with its operator at around 2am Sunday.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said a passing helicopter spotted the vessel after it had capsized. The cause of the accident was still under investigation. Earlier, rescue officials had reported that the ferry had sunk.
Survivor Rinto Arahap, 33, described scenes of panic as the vessel began listing. He said many passengers were asleep when the ship started tilting and that he heard what sounded like metal breaking several hours into the journey.
According to Arahap, waves exceeding two metres battered the vessel as passengers scrambled for life jackets. He said there was no formal warning from the crew and passengers began shouting and trying to save themselves.
Arahap said he grabbed a life jacket and held onto the ship’s railings before climbing to a higher part of the vessel after it overturned. He and other passengers remained in the water for about four hours before being rescued.
“I didn’t save anything, just myself,” he said, adding that his wallet, clothes and important documents, including his school diploma, were lost.
The first rescue vessel carrying survivors reached a pier in Banjarmasin before nightfall. Several survivors were taken away on stretchers and in wheelchairs, while ambulances and medical teams remained on standby.
Rescue teams faced waves of up to 2.5 metres during the operation. Two helicopters, along with navy, police, rescue agency and ferry-company vessels, were involved in the search.
The ferry’s last known position was around 150 kilometres from Banjarmasin, authorities said.
At the Banjarmasin port command centre, anxious relatives gathered to check lists of rescued passengers and await information about missing family members.
Passenger relatives said communication with those aboard had been lost shortly after the vessel encountered trouble.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and other boats for transportation, particularly because sea travel is often more affordable and accessible than air travel.
However, maritime accidents remain frequent, with unpredictable weather and concerns over enforcement of safety standards often cited as contributing factors. Last month, another Indonesian ferry caught fire at sea, killing five people and leaving 41 others missing.
