A ferry traveling between Indonesia’s islands of Java and Borneo is hit by bad weather, goes missing, and is later the subject of a large rescue effort. Rescue officials report that one person dies and 102 people are evacuated from the stricken vessel. The Virgo Transport 8 had lost contact with its shipping company after departing from Surabaya in East Java, with its last detected position in the Java Sea about 150 kilometres from its destination.
Officials say the captain reports the ship was “tilting” before it lost contact. Rescuers face rough sea conditions, including waves reported up to 2.5 metres, which makes operations “extremely risky.” The ferry’s distress and the ongoing search and evacuation occur under challenging weather, according to accounts from multiple outlets. While reporting broadly matches on the casualty and rescue numbers, outlets differ mainly in emphasis—some highlight the captain’s warning about tilting, while others focus more on the hazardous wave height and risks to rescue vessels.
