Search underway after Indonesian passenger ship loses contact

Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation Sunday local time 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.

The Search and Rescue Office in the city of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, which is located on Borneo island, said it received a report two hours after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport 8 at about 2 a.m. Sunday. The ship had departed from Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city in East Java province, en route to Banjarmasin.

"The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather," said I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Office, in a video briefing.

Initial information indicated the vessel's last known position was in the Java Sea, about 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship's manifest said it was carrying 241 passengers.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The vessel's operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, reported the loss of contact and said the ship departed Surabaya on Saturday at 10:13 a.m. local time.

In response, a rescue team was dispatched to Banjarmasin's Basirih Search and Rescue pier, and a rescue ship was headed to the Virgo Transport 8's estimated last known position.

Sudayana, who is coordinating the search, said authorities were mobilizing all available personnel and assets because the vessel was carrying a large number of passengers and crew.

He said the agency was coordinating with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies in the search, while closely monitoring weather conditions in the area.