A passenger ship with 240 people on board has lost contact while crossing the Java Sea, prompting an urgent search operation by Indonesian authorities.
The Virgo Transport 8, a passenger ship carrying 240 individuals, vanished from communication in the Java Sea on Sunday, local time, prompting an immediate search effort by Indonesian authorities.
The vessel was en route from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, located on the island of Borneo, when it lost contact. According to the Associated Press, the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office reported that the ship was last tracked approximately 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province.
Search-and-rescue teams swiftly initiated operations after receiving reports of the ship’s communication failure during its journey. As of Sunday, officials had not reported any fatalities or injuries related to the incident, and the cause of the vessel’s loss of contact remains unclear. It is also uncertain whether adverse weather conditions are impacting the ongoing search efforts.
The Virgo Transport 8 departed from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, before losing contact while navigating the Java Sea towards South Kalimantan. The search operation is still active as authorities work diligently to locate the missing vessel and its passengers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.