One person has died while 103 others have been rescued after a ferry travelling between the Indonesian islands of Java and Borneo encountered severe weather, rescue officials said on Sunday.
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, lost contact with its shipping company early Sunday after leaving Surabaya in East Java for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Local search and rescue chief, I Putu Sudayana, said 103 people had so far been evacuated, while one passenger was confirmed dead.
“We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people,” Sudayana said in Banjarmasin.
He said rescuers faced waves reaching 2.5 metres as they attempted to reach the vessel, describing the conditions as dangerous for rescue operations.
“It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres long, is at great risk,” he said, referring to Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency.
A Basarnas helicopter was also deployed to support the operation. Sudayana had earlier told AFP that the ship’s captain reported that the ferry was “tilting” before communication was lost.
The vessel was last detected in the Java Sea, about 150 kilometres from Banjarmasin.
Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, said the ferry, which was carrying passengers and vehicles, lost contact at about 2:00 am Sunday.
“We responded quickly to the incident report… Our main focus and top priority at this time is the safety of everyone on board the ship, and we are deploying a coordinated rescue operation,” Purwanto said.
A command centre was established at Banjarmasin port, where paramedics and ambulances were placed on standby as the rescue operation continued.
Relatives and friends of passengers gathered at the port, monitoring a whiteboard displaying the names of people who had been rescued.
A 26-year-old woman, Jenah, who was seeking information about her older brother, said she had been unable to reach him since the previous night.
“I am saddened and very shocked. Until now, I haven’t received any more information,” she said.
“He was travelling alone. I hope he survives. I couldn’t contact him since last night.”
Marine accidents are relatively common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where boats play a major role in transportation and tourism.
Unpredictable weather and safety concerns have been cited among factors contributing to such incidents.
The latest accident comes after several other maritime incidents in the country.
On Monday, a speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, went missing near the volcano in Banten province.
Last month, a ferry fire in the Lombok Strait off Bali killed one person, with five others reported missing, while 211 people were rescued.
The vessel had been travelling from Bali to Lombok when it encountered trouble on August 12.
In July, another ferry carrying more than 70 people sank near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.
