Ferry carrying 243 people turns over in Java Sea: six dead, 130 missing

A ferry carrying 243 people turned over in bad weather in the Java Sea early on Sunday. Six people are dead and 130 are missing, Indonesian officials said. Rescue teams have saved 107 people from the ferry, named Virgo Transport 8. It left Surabaya on the island of Java on Saturday morning and was going to Banjarmasin on Borneo. People lost contact with it shortly after 2am, about 150 km from Banjarmasin.

Rescue ships and a helicopter are searching the area. A team of 280 people is taking part. They come from rescue services, the navy and the police who work at sea. But waves up to 2.5 metres high have slowed the work. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the ferry turned over but did not sink. It is not clear yet if the dead and missing people are inside the ferry or somewhere else. Officials are still investigating the cause. They are looking at the weather and possible problems with the ship's equipment.

In Banjarmasin, families waited at the port and looked at a whiteboard with the names of survivors. Rusmilawati was looking for eight relatives. Their last contact was a WhatsApp status update: “The waves are really frightening tonight,” she said.

Ferries are important in Indonesia, a country of more than 17,000 islands, because sea travel is cheaper and easier than flying. But accidents are common, and safety rules are not always followed. Government records show 111 ship accidents between 2020 and 2026.