103 Rescued After Indonesian Ferry Carrying 243 Goes Missing At Sea

Indonasia: A passenger plane carrying 243 people went missing in the Java Sea amid bad weather in Indonesia early Sunday morning. After losing contact with the ship, the country's search and rescue agency has started a rescue operation to search for it.

Was the ship going from Surabaya to Banjarmasin?

According to the search and rescue agency, the ship named Virgo Transport 8 had departed from Surabaya city in East Java on Saturday. It was to reach Banjarmasin city in South Kalimantan. Meanwhile, contact with the ship was lost amid bad weather in the Java Sea.

The agency said that at present the ship cannot be contacted and its exact location has also not been known.

Were 103 people evacuated safely?

The rescue agency said that so far 103 people have been safely evacuated from the ship which was reported missing. However, information regarding the current condition of the remaining people on board the ship has not been revealed yet.

A rescue team has been dispatched to the last known location of the ship. Rescue teams are searching for the ship and its people amid bad weather.

Is ferry travel common in Indonesia?

In Indonesia, which has about 17 thousand islands, ferries and passenger ships are used extensively to go from one place to another. Sea travel is cheaper and more easily available to common people than air travel.

However, questions have been raised earlier also regarding the safety of maritime transport in the country. At many places, maritime accidents have been occurring due to lack of strict adherence to safety rules.

At present, rescue agencies are busy searching for Virgo Transport 8 and efforts are being made to ascertain the condition of all the people on board.