Indonesian rescuers expanded their search on Monday for 129 people still missing after a passenger ferry capsized in the Java Sea. At least six people have died, while 108 were rescued on Sunday, according to the country’s search and rescue agency.
The Virgo Transport 8 was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when its captain reported that the vessel was listing in rough seas. Waves reached about three metres. Contact with the ship was lost at around 2am on Sunday, and authorities received word roughly two hours later that it had overturned in the Masalembo waters, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin.
On Monday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said 17 ships and aircraft and about 622 personnel from the military, police and other services were involved in the operation. Specialist divers and navy underwater drones were also being deployed. Rescue crews had been assisted by nearby tugboats and passing vessels.
The passenger manifest listed 243 people aboard: 213 passengers and 30 crew. Officials cautioned that the actual number on Indonesian ferries can differ from the manifest, so the precise number unaccounted for may change as the search continues. The ferry was also carrying 89 vehicles. Relatives gathered at command centres in Banjarmasin and Surabaya for news of their loved ones.
The cause of the capsize has not been established. The captain’s distress call described heavy seas and a listing vessel, but investigators have yet to determine whether other factors played a role. For families waiting at the ports, the immediate focus remains the search for survivors.
Sources: The Associated Press, 14 September 2026; Sky News.
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