Indonesian rescuers search Java Sea for passenger ship with 240 aboard
Indonesian authorities have launched a search for the Virgo Transport 8, a passenger ship carrying 240 people that lost contact in the Java Sea.
Indonesian rescue teams have begun searching the Java Sea for a passenger vessel carrying 240 people that lost contact during a voyage from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said on Sunday.
The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, said it was informed that the Virgo Transport 8 suffered a communications failure while travelling to the city from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
Initial reports placed the ship's last known position in the Java Sea, roughly 148 kilometres (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin.
Arianto Ardi, operations chief at the Banjarmasin rescue agency, confirmed that contact with the vessel had been lost and said personnel had been sent to the area. An operations post has been set up at Trisakti, he added.
According to the authorities, the ship's operator reported the incident after receiving information that the vessel had run into bad weather.
No casualties have been reported so far.