At least six people have died, and 130 others missing after an Indonesian passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 213 passengers and 30
crew members on board when its captain issued a distress call, saying the ship
was listing in rough seas with waves of up to three metres (10 feet).
The ship was en route from Surabaya in east Java province to
Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island.
Contact was lost with the ferry around 2 am on Sunday, and
about two hours later, authorities received information that the vessel had
capsized at sea.
Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency
showed an overturned ferry floating in choppy waters during a helicopter search
operation.
About 107 people have been rescued so far, with 280
personnel said to be taking part in a search-and-rescue operation, and all
vessels in the Java Sea area have been alerted to report any signs of
passengers.
The 119-meter (390-foot) Virgo Transport 8 ferry was built
in Japan in 1987 and operated there until last year, when it was sold to the
current Indonesian operator, PT Virgo Karya Shipping.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands,
where ferries are a common mode of transportation.
Last month, at least 211 people were rescued from an
Indonesian ferry that caught fire in rough seas near the tourist island of
Bali.
Authorities said one person was found dead and four others
remained missing.
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