An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people was reported missing after losing contact early Sunday amid bad weather, according to the country’s search and rescue agency.
The Virgo Transport 8 had departed from the East Java city of Surabaya on Saturday for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, the agency said.
Later on Sunday, officials confirmed that the vessel had sunk, although no further details were immediately provided.
I Putu Sudayana, head of the search and rescue agency’s Banjarmasin office, said in a video statement that 103 people had been rescued by several vessels. Some of the survivors were expected to be transported to a port in East Java.
Search and rescue operations were launched, with teams, vessels and a helicopter dispatched to the ship’s last known location, Sudayana said.
Indonesia, an archipelago of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and other sea transport, as maritime travel is generally more affordable and accessible than air travel.
However, safety regulations are not always strictly enforced, contributing to the country’s relatively high rate of maritime accidents.
Last month, an Indonesian ferry caught fire at sea, killing five people and leaving 41 others missing after some passengers reportedly jumped overboard.
