Ferry capsizes in Indonesia. 130 people missing
More than 100 people have been rescued, and the bodies of 6 people have been found.
A ferry has met with disaster in Indonesia. 130 people are missing
On the night leading into Sunday, a passenger ferry belonging to the company Virgo Transport 8, with a total of 243 people on board, sank in the Java Sea. As a result of the incident, six people have been confirmed dead, and 107 people have been rescued. The whereabouts of another 130 people remain unknown.
The vessel set off on Saturday from the city of Surabaya on Java island towards the city of Banjarmasin in the south of Kalimantan island (Borneo). During the sea voyage, the weather deteriorated. The captain reported that the ship was listing to one side, and after contact with the vessel was lost, the government launched search operations.
It was later determined that the ship had capsized and sunk. There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board.
Rescuers said that when the ship was last in contact, it was traveling approximately 148 kilometers from the coast. Rescue teams on 4 ships and helicopters were dispatched to the scene of the incident.
Rescuers pulled 107 survivors of the disaster and the bodies of 6 people from the water; the search for another 130 people continues.
On Sunday, hundreds of relatives of those on board gathered at the control point at the Trisakti port in Banjarmasin, waiting for news about their loved ones.
"I was stunned when I saw my uncle's name on the passenger list. But after officials said he had been rescued, I started to feel a bit relieved," one of them told journalists.
Indonesia consists of an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where the ferry is considered one of the main means of transport. Incidents involving passenger vessels occur frequently in the country, and failure to comply with safety measures is often cited as the cause.
Last month, a fire on a ferry near the Indonesian island of Bali left one person dead, 4 people missing, and 211 people rescued. Two weeks before that, another ferry named "Mutiara Sentosa 2" caught fire near Java island, resulting in the deaths of five people.