Six dead and search under way for 130 missing from Indonesian passenger ship

At least six people have died and 130 people are still missing after a passenger ship in Indonesia carrying more than 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea during bad weather, officials say.

At least 107 people were rescued as the search operation expanded in waters around the vessel's last known position.

The country's search and rescue agency said the Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, East Java, to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin on Borneo before losing contact.

The 390-ft ship was carrying 243 people, including 30 crew members, the agency said.

The ship's captain had earlier reported rough seas with waves of up to 3m (10ft) before issuing a distress message saying the ship was tilting, according to I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office.

The ship was found floating upside down, transportation minister Dudy Purwagandhi said, citing aerial observations.

At a rescue centre in Banjarmasin, passenger Rinto ​Arahab said he held on to the ship's railings after it flipped over, then managed to climb to a higher point as ​it tossed and turned in the water.

"I felt resigned," he said. "I could only pray ‌for my safety."

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin said it received a report that the ship had experienced a communication failure, with initial information indicating the vessel's last known position was about 92 miles (148km) from one of the city's piers.

The ship's operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of contact and said the vessel had departed from Surabaya on Saturday at 10.13am local time.

The Search and Rescue Office said it received a report two hours after contact was lost with the ship at around 2am on Sunday.

A rescue team was dispatched to Banjarmasin's Basirih Search and Rescue pier, and a rescue ship headed to the vessel's estimated last known position.

By Sunday afternoon, authorities were deploying teams supported by eight vessels, including four navy ships, and two helicopters.

Mr Sudayana said ​survivors had been transported on different ships and some would be taken to ⁠an East Java port.

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Meanwhile, hundreds of relatives gathered at a command centre in Banjarmasin's Trisakti port, awaiting word on family members believed to be on board the ferry.

Many anxiously checked passenger manifests and rescue lists as authorities continued the search for survivors.

The incident comes a month after five people died when a ferry caught fire off Madura island, just across from Surabaya.

Indonesia, an archipelago made up of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries to travel between islands, with sea routes more affordable and readily available than air travel.

However, safety standards are not always strictly enforced, which results in a relatively high accident rate.

(c) Sky News 2026: Six dead and search under way for 130 missing from Indonesian passenger ship