103 rescued, 140 missing after Indonesian ship loses contact

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 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, said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office.

Authorities later received information indicating the vessel had overturned, he added.

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.