Indonesia ferry capsizes in horror Java Sea disaster with at least 6 dead and 129 still missing

Indonesia ferry capsizes in horror Java Sea disaster with at least 6 dead and 129 still missing The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 people when its captain issued a distress call, saying the ship was listing in rough seas with waves of up to three metres in the Java Sea Indonesian authorities stepped up their search on Monday for dozens of people still unaccounted for after a ferry capsized in treacherous weather in the Java Sea yesterday. At least six passengers died, with 129 people still missing. The Virgo Transport 8 was transporting more than 240 people when its captain sent out a distress call, reporting that the vessel was listing dangerously in rough seas with waves reaching up to three metres (10 feet), while en route from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, on Borneo Island. All contact with the ferry was lost at about 2am on Sunday, and approximately two hours later, authorities received reports that the vessel had capsized in the Java Sea's Masalembo waters, roughly 148 kilometres (92 miles) from Banjarmasin. Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Sunday showed the stricken ferry floating upturned in turbulent waters during an aerial search operation. By Monday, 17 ships and aircraft had been deployed for the search, with around 622 personnel drawn from the military, police and other agencies, said Mohammad Syafii, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency. He added that specialist underwater teams and navy-operated underwater drones were also being deployed to bolster search efforts and expedite the recovery of victims. "We remain hopeful of finding more survivors," Syafii told a video briefing. On Sunday, search teams, aided by nearby tugboats and other passing vessels, managed to rescue 108 people and recover six bodies. According to the ship's manifest, it was carrying 243 people — 213 passengers and 30 crew members — though it is not uncommon in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers to differ from the official manifest. The vessel was also transporting 89 vehicles. Distraught relatives gathered at a command centre at Banjarmasin's Trisakti port and at a port in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, desperately awaiting news on family members believed to still be unaccounted for aboard the stricken ferry. The Virgo Transport 8, a 119-metre (390-foot) ferry, was constructed in Japan in 1987 and operated there until last year, when it was sold to Indonesia. Indonesia, an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a primary mode of transport. Disasters are an all-too-regular occurrence, largely due to the lax enforcement of safety regulations.