Indonesian authorities have intensified a search for 129 missing people after a ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday, killing at least six passengers.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 people when its captain issued a distress call, saying the ship was listing in rough seas with waves of up to 10ft while traveling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, on Borneo Island.
Contact was lost with the ferry at about 2am local time on Sunday (7pm on Saturday BST) and about two hours later authorities received information that the vessel had overturned in the Java Sea’s Masalembo waters, about 92 miles from Banjarmasin.
Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Sunday showed an overturned ferry floating in choppy waters during a helicopter search operation.
On Monday, 17 ships and aircraft were deployed for the search carrying about 655 personnel deployed from the military, police and other agencies, said Mohammad Syafii, the National Search and Rescue Agency chief.
Authorities are also deploying specialised underwater teams and navy-operated underwater thermal drones to strengthen search efforts and speed up the evacuation of victims, he said.
“We remain hopeful of finding more survivors,” Mr Syafii told a video briefing.
Search teams, assisted by nearby tugboats and other passing vessels, rescued 108 people and recovered six bodies on Sunday.
The manifest said the ship carried 243 people including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, although it is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers to differ from the manifest. The 390f ferry, which was built in Japan in 1987, also was transporting 89 vehicles.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the accident.
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