Key facts
- The Virgo Transport 8 ship carrying 243 people capsized in the Java Sea.
- Six people have been confirmed dead.
- 108 people have been rescued.
- 129 people remain missing.
- Bad weather, including 3-meter waves, caused the ship to capsize.
- Rescue efforts are being impeded by choppy waters, high waves, and strong winds.
Hundreds of Indonesian rescuers, including the coast guard and navy, are battling turbulent seas in the Java Sea to find 129 people missing after the passenger ship Virgo Transport 8 capsized over the weekend. Six deaths have been confirmed, and 108 people have been rescued.
The ship, carrying 243 people, went missing early Sunday due to bad weather. Choppy waters with high waves and strong winds are significantly impeding the search efforts on Monday, according to Mohammad Syafii, head of the national rescue agency. The agency has deployed 622 personnel, 17 ships, and five helicopters and aircraft to the location, which is about 80 nautical miles from the command center at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin.
Rescuers are finding it difficult to board the partially submerged vessel, and underwater rescue operations are not possible due to the current conditions. The weather was poor when the incident occurred, with waves as high as 3 meters crashing into the ship. The vessel, which was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, had a capacity of 500 passengers and was not overloaded, according to Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi.
The Java Sea has been the site of several deadly maritime disasters, including the sinking of the Tampomas II in 1981, which killed nearly 600 people, and a 2007 plane crash that killed over 100. Freddy Manuhua is anxiously awaiting news of his brother, Stefiyansah, who worked as a keyboard player on the ship.