Indonesian Ferry with 243 Aboard Sinks; 6 Dead and 130 Missing

An Indonesian ferry carrying about 240 people has sunk in the Java Sea after losing contact, leaving 6 people dead and 130 missing.

According to Reuters, AP, and CNN Indonesia on local time today (the 13th), the Search and Rescue Agency in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, received an accident report from an official of the "Bergo Transport 8" at around 4:10 a.m. in the Java Sea near Banjarmasin.

At the time of the accident, a total of 243 people were aboard the ferry, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, though specific details of the report have not yet been released.

The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency stated that the reported ferry subsequently sank.

The accident resulted in 6 deaths and 130 missing, while the remaining 107 passengers and crew were rescued by various vessels.

Initially, the death toll was reported as 1, but rescue workers discovered 5 additional bodies during the search process.

An official from the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency said, "Those who evacuated will be transferred to a port in East Java."

The ferry departed from Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia's second-largest city, at around 10:13 a.m. yesterday, and headed toward Banjarmasin. It lost contact at around 2 a.m. today following communications indicating worsening weather conditions.

The ferry's last known location was about 148 km away from the Basirih Pier in Banjarmasin, and waves reaching heights of 2 to 2.5 meters were pounding the waters at the time of the accident.

The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, along with the navy, has deployed 12 vessels to the accident site to search for the missing.

An official from the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency stated, "Upon receiving the report that contact with the ferry had been lost, we immediately dispatched rescue teams to the last known location and are focusing on searching for the missing."

In Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands, ships are utilized as a major means of transportation alongside aircraft.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.