At least six people died and 115 people were rescued after the sinking of an Indonesian ferry, which was carrying 243 people and connected the islands of Java and Borneo, authorities reported, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
The ship “Virgo Transport 8“ sailed yesterday from Surabaya, in the eastern part of the island of Java, to Banjarmasin on the island of Borneo, according to a signal from the ferry's owners. Contact was lost early this morning, recalls Agence France-Presse.
“We received a signal of loss of contact with the ship “Virgo Transport 8“ and immediately deployed teams (…) to the last known position“ of the ferry in the Java Sea, about 150 km from the port of Banjarmasin, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the local search and rescue agency Basarnas.
Rescue operations are being hampered by waves reaching 2.5 meters high. “This is extremely risky for ships. "Even our 40-meter-long Basarnas ship is in great danger," he said, citing the Indonesian search and rescue agency.
The ferry captain reported to his company overnight that the ship was "listing."
Due to poor safety standards and unpredictable weather conditions, maritime accidents are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on sea links.
Contact was lost on Monday with a speedboat carrying eight people near the Anak Krakatau volcano, west of Java island. Five journalists were on board to cover the eruption.