Rescuers in Indonesia are racing against time to locate 129 missing people following the sinking of the ferry Virgo Transport 8, which claimed the lives of six people. The Virgo Transport 8 was traveling between Java and Borneo.

The ship had set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, on Java, bound for Banjarmasin, on Borneo. There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board the ferry, and contact with it was lost early Sunday morning.

Search and Rescue Operation by Air and Sea

Five aircraft and 17 ships, including navy vessels, are participating in the search.

The head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Mohammad Shafi, stated that the operation has been divided into six sectors, with authorities prioritizing the search for people who may be on the surface of the sea.

At the same time, divers and unmanned underwater vehicles are operating at the site to search both the interior of the wreck and the surrounding waters.

The Virgo Transport 8 departed from Surabaya bound for Banjarmasin with 243 people on board. Early Sunday morning, while sailing through the Java Sea, the captain reported heavy waves and called for help, stating that the ferry was listing. Subsequently, the… pic.twitter.com/2QapxUIuf0

— Cristian Crespo F. (@cristiancrespoj) September 13, 2026

Waves 2.5 meters high

The Virgo Transport 8 sank while rough seas prevailed in the area, with waves reaching heights of 2.5 meters.

Indonesian Transportation Minister Dudi Puruwaganti stated that the ship was not overloaded, as its maximum permitted capacity was 500 passengers.

Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where much of the transportation relies on ferry services. Shortcomings in the enforcement of safety regulations, combined with unpredictable weather conditions, have repeatedly been linked to serious incidents.

Just last Monday, contact was lost with a speedboat carrying eight people near the Anak Krakatau volcano in West Java. Among the missing are five journalists.

A terrifying moment in Indonesia as a passenger ship carrying more than 240 people begins to sink during its journey between Surabaya and Banjarmasin

. What started as a normal journey suddenly turned into a fight for survival pic.twitter.com/NULxLHdsqG

— Sonu (@sonucnc) September 13, 2026

Source: Cnn.gr