Passenger ship sinks in Indonesia's Java Sea; 119 rescued, six dead, about 130 missing
Indonesian rescuers have saved 119 people and recovered six bodies after the Virgo Transport 8 sank in the Java Sea; roughly 130 remain missing.
A passenger vessel that went missing in Indonesia's Java Sea has sunk, the country's National Search and Rescue Agency said on Sunday.
The ship, Virgo Transport 8, was carrying about 240 people when contact was lost at around 02:00 local time on Sunday, after it ran into bad weather. According to the latest figures available, 119 people have been rescued and six have died, leaving around 130 unaccounted for.
The Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya said no Chinese nationals were on board, after checking with relevant authorities in the Surabaya city government.
The vessel had set out from Surabaya in East Java province on Saturday and was bound for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province.
What caused the accident is not yet known. Indonesian search and rescue authorities have sent personnel, ships and a helicopter to the waters near the vessel's last known position to look for survivors.
Indonesia, an archipelago of roughly 17,000 islands, depends heavily on ferries and other maritime transport to link its regions and move people between them. Accidents at sea occur periodically, driven by weather and sea conditions as well as vessel safety issues.