Search underway for Indonesian passenger ship carrying at least 240 people after it loses contact

Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation after authorities lost contact with a passenger ship carrying more than 240 people in the Java Sea. A search and rescue team has been deployed to the passenger ship's last known position. (Reuters pic)JAKARTA: An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people was reported missing after losing contact in the Java Sea early on Sunday during bad weather, the country's search and rescue agency said in a statement.The Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from the East Java city of Surabaya to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin before losing contact, the agency said."At the time of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted and its whereabouts are unknown," the agency said.Rescuers have launched a search, deploying a team toward its last known position, the agency added.Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transportation, with sea routes ⁠more ​affordable and readily available than air travel.However, ​safety standards are not always rigorously enforced, resulting in a relatively high accident rate.

Indonesian officials have launched a search for a passenger ship carrying more than 240 after it lost contact in the Java Sea during bad weather. Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation after a passenger ship carrying at least 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation on Sunday after a passenger ship carrying 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while travelling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo Island, officials said.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, said they received a report the Virgo Transport 8 had experienced a communication failure while en route to the city from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city in East Java province. The ship was carrying over 240 people in the Java Sea and had departed from the city of Surabaya. There are no immediate reports of casualties.

JAKARTA: Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation Sunday after a passenger ship carrying at least 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials said. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation Sunday after authorities lost contact with a passenger ship carrying more than 240 people in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan province, officials said.