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Indonesian Ferry Sinks, One Dead, 102 Rescued
Confirmed
In Short: An Indonesian passenger ferry has sunk in the Java Sea, with one death and 102 people rescued, according to official reports.
An Indonesian passenger ferry, the Virgo Transport 8, has sunk in the Java Sea, with one death and 102 people rescued, according to official reports. The ferry was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it lost contact early Sunday. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with ships and a helicopter deployed to the area.
The incident comes after a separate ferry in Indonesia caught fire off Madura island last month, killing five, highlighting the ongoing challenges in maritime safety in the Indonesian archipelago. Ferries are a common form of transport in the region, carrying thousands of passengers daily.
Rescuers are searching for 140 people from the Virgo Transport 8, which was carrying 243 people when it lost contact. The search and rescue efforts are being coordinated by Indonesian authorities, who have alerted all vessels in the area to report any signs of passengers.
The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, before losing contact while crossing the Java Sea toward South Kalimantan. The incident underscores the risks associated with ferry travel in the region, where more than 17,000 islands make maritime transport a critical but often perilous mode of travel.
What's confirmed
- An Indonesian passenger ferry, the Virgo Transport 8, has sunk in the Java Sea, with one death and 102 people rescued, according to official reports. The ferry was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it lost contact early Sunday. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with ships and a helicopter deployed to the area.
- The incident comes after a separate ferry in Indonesia caught fire off Madura island last month, killing five, highlighting the ongoing challenges in maritime safety in the Indonesian archipelago. Ferries are a common form of transport in the region, carrying thousands of passengers daily.
- Rescuers are searching for 140 people from the Virgo Transport 8, which was carrying 243 people when it lost contact. The search and rescue efforts are being coordinated by Indonesian authorities, who have alerted all vessels in the area to report any signs of passengers.
- The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, before losing contact while crossing the Java Sea toward South Kalimantan. The incident underscores the risks associated with ferry travel in the region, where more than 17,000 islands make maritime transport a critical but often perilous mode of travel.
What's still developing
- At least one person has died and more than 30 remain missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Vanuatu, Prime Minister Jotham Napat’s office has said in a statement.
- The MV Matui, an inter-island ferry, sank in bad weather on Friday while sailing between the islands of Ambae and Santo, in Vanuatu’s north, according to New Zealand’s public broadcaster RNZ.
- Vanuatu police, the country’s Maritime Safety Authority and the ferry’s operator, Tui Shipping Agency, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the Reuters news agency reported.
- Indonesian authorities reported the Virgo Transport 8 lost contact in the Java Sea while enroute from Surabaya to Banjarmasin AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBC Dramatic insider warnings over AI fall flat with some in Silicon Valley PM's top security adviser says Europe faces hard winter to keep pressure on Putin Will the Thirlwall report change the debate about Lucy Letby? 'She's back': Fans dance, sing and cry after Céline Dion's comeback concert in Paris.
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- A passenger ship carrying 240 people vanished from contact in the Java Sea on Sunday local time, triggering an urgent search as Indonesian crews raced to locate the vessel.
- Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.