Indonesia searches for 140 missing after passenger ship loses contact

BANJARMASIN, Indonesia — 13 September 2026, Indonesian search and rescue teams were searching on Sunday for 140 people from a passenger ship that lost contact in the Java Sea, after 103 others were evacuated, one of whom later died.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 passengers and crew when contact was lost on Sunday morning amid bad weather. Authorities have not confirmed what caused the vessel to lose contact.

At least 103 people were evacuated from the ship using several other vessels, according to Indonesia’s search and rescue agency. Some of the survivors were being taken to a port in East Java.

One of those evacuated later died.

The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya in East Java on Saturday, 12 September, bound for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan before losing contact.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries and passenger ships for transport between islands.

Sea travel is generally cheaper and more widely available than air travel, but maritime accidents remain relatively common, with safety standards not always strictly enforced.