Indonesia Searches for 129 Missing After Java Sea Ferry Capsizes

Rescue authorities in Indonesia are searching for 129 missing passengers after the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 capsized in 3-metre rough seas in the Java Sea on Sunday. 108 survivors have been rescued and six bodies recovered.

Key Takeaways

• Passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 capsized in the Java Sea on Sunday during a voyage from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.
• Manifest lists 243 people on board (213 passengers and 30 crew), plus vehicles.
• Confirmed casualties and status: 108 rescued, 6 dead, 129 unaccounted for.
• Basarnas deployed over 600 personnel across 17 vessels and aircraft; underwater drone sweeps hampered by currents and rough seas.
• Update frequency: casualty numbers updated twice daily as search and rescue operations continue.

Rescue crews in Indonesia are still looking for 129 people after the passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 overturned in the Java Sea on Sunday.

The ship was sailing from Surabaya on Java to Banjarmasin on Borneo with 243 people on the manifest — 213 passengers and 30 crew — plus vehicles. Contact was lost about 2 a.m. local time after the captain reported waves of up to three metres and a heavy list. A distress call reached authorities about two hours later. A helicopter later confirmed the hull was upside down near Masalembo, roughly 148 km from Banjarmasin.

By Monday morning, officials said 108 people had been pulled out and six bodies recovered. Survivors were taken to Trisakti Port. Some described a rush to the upper deck for life jackets as the ship listed.

Basarnas put more than 600 personnel on the water and in the air — about 17 vessels and several aircraft. Divers and underwater drones are planned around the wreck. Rough seas and current are slowing that work. Manifest counts on Indonesian ferries sometimes differ from the number actually on board, so the missing figure can move.

This is a rescue story, not a verdict. Weather is the confirmed immediate cause officials have given. Investigations into the vessel and operator come later.

Sources: NYT, AP, BBC, Euronews, Basarnas statements.