A passenger ferry, the Virgo Transport 8, capsized in the Java Sea after encountering severe weather, leaving six people confirmed dead and 130 reported missing, Indonesian authorities said. Search-and-rescue teams have deployed ships and helicopters to the area to look for survivors and recover victims.
Search and rescue
Naval and civil rescue units are conducting coordinated surface and air searches across the area where the vessel went down. Helicopters are scanning from the air while ships comb the waters in efforts to find anyone still alive and recover bodies. Authorities have not yet released a full manifest or detailed information on how many people were aboard at the time of the accident.
Weather and conditions
Officials said the ferry had run into bad weather before it capsized. Meteorological conditions in parts of the Java Sea can deteriorate rapidly, complicating rescue efforts and hampering immediate access to the site.
Ongoing response and information
Rescue teams are continuing operations and officials warned that casualty figures could change as searches proceed. Authorities have urged relatives of passengers and crew to remain near designated information centres for updates and said they will provide further details as they become available.
The incident is under investigation to determine the precise cause of the capsize and to establish the sequence of events leading up to the disaster. For now, the priority for emergency services remains finding survivors and accounting for those still missing.