A passenger ship carrying 243 passengers and crew has been reported missing in the Java Sea, Indonesia, prompting a search and rescue operation early Sunday.
Virgo Transport 8 was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when communication with the vessel was lost at around 2am amid bad weather in the Java Sea.
Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office chief I Putu Sudayana said authorities received a report about the missing vessel at 4.10am.
“We received a report that communication with the vessel had been lost and immediately deployed personnel and a search vessel towards its estimated last known position,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
The search operation is underway as authorities work to locate the ship and determine the whereabouts of those on board.
