About 140 people were reported missing after the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 overturned in rough weather in Indonesia’s Java Sea on Sunday. The vessel had been traveling from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, to Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province. The incident is the latest in a series of major ferry emergencies in Indonesia since July, including one sinking and two onboard fires that together killed several people and forced hundreds more to abandon or evacuate vessels.
It draws renewed attention to maritime safety in a country that relies heavily on sea transport. Passengers, crew members and their families are awaiting news as rescue teams continue search operations in difficult conditions. Newsweek reached out to the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation for comment on Sunday.
Indonesia is made up of more than 17,000 islands, making ferries a vital link for millions of people traveling between regions. The succession of high-profile maritime emergencies in recent months has put a spotlight on safety practices, passenger accountability and emergency response capabilities across the archipelago. Authorities said 243 people were believed to have been on board when the Virgo Transport 8 ran into severe weather.
Search teams faced rough seas and strong winds as they worked to reach the ferry's last known location. I Putu Sudayana, head of the Search and Rescue Office, said in a briefing: "The ship’s operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather." At least 102 people have been rescued and one death was confirmed. Officials cautioned that the exact number of missing people could change because passenger totals do not always match official manifests.
Emergency crews pulled survivors from the water and transported them to nearby locations for medical assessment and assistance. Search and rescue officials said operations remained focused on locating anyone still unaccounted for, with vessels and personnel deployed across the area where the ferry capsized. Authorities acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the final passenger count, a recurring challenge in some maritime emergencies.
Differences between manifests and actual passenger numbers can complicate rescue efforts and make it more difficult for officials to determine how many people remain missing. The Virgo Transport 8 incident follows three other significant ferry emergencies in Indonesia in recent months. In July, a ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar, south of Sulawesi.
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