At least six dead, 130 missing after Indonesian ferry capsizes in the Java Sea

A ferry carrying 243 people capsized in Indonesia’s Java Sea on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and 130 still missing as search-and-rescue crews expanded their operation across rough waters. The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, had been traveling from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, when it lost contact and later overturned, according to rescuers and local media reporting on the operation.

The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas, said 103 people had been evacuated by midday Sunday. Of those, 15 were reported safe after being transferred to the TB Mahao 9 tugboat, while 38 others were taken aboard the TB TCP and 49 more were rescued by the MP Haida. One person evacuated on TB Mahao 9 was found dead, according to the agency’s account of the operation.

The ferry’s manifest listed 243 people on board, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members. Authorities said the number of people actually aboard can sometimes differ from the manifest, a recurring issue in Indonesian maritime incidents that has complicated rescue and accountability efforts in past disasters.

Rough seas complicated the rescue

Basarnas said wave heights of about 2 to 2.5 meters were affecting the search, making it safer to prioritize larger vessels in the response. The agency deployed multiple assets, including the KN SAR Laksmana, KRI Nala, KN Kunyit, several tugboats and a helicopter launched from Surabaya. Officials said survivors and the recovered body were being transported to ports in Tuban, East Java, and Trisakti in Banjarmasin, depending on the vessel that picked them up.

The exact cause of the capsizing was not immediately confirmed. Authorities have not publicly finalized whether weather, mechanical failure or another factor triggered the accident. Transportation Ministry and Basarnas officials were expected to continue monitoring the scene as the search expanded for the remaining passengers and crew.

The disaster adds to concerns about maritime safety in Indonesia, an archipelago where ferries remain a critical link between islands and where overcrowding and uneven enforcement have long been recurring issues. For families waiting on shore, the search remains focused on identifying the missing and accounting for those still unaccounted for as the operation continues into the evening.