About 130 Missing After Passenger Ship Sinks in Indonesia’s Java Sea

Jakarta, September 13, 2026 : Indonesian rescuers are continuing a major search-and-rescue operation after the passenger vessel Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people, capsized and sank in the Java Sea amid severe weather conditions.

The vessel was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it lost contact early Sunday. According to Indonesian search and rescue officials, the ship’s captain had reported rough seas and waves reaching up to three meters before the vessel began listing. Authorities later received information that the ship had overturned and sunk.

Search teams have so far rescued 107 people and recovered six bodies, while approximately 130 passengers and crew members remain missing, according to the latest updates from Indonesian authorities.

The vessel’s manifest listed 243 people on board, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members. The last known position of the ship was approximately 148 kilometers from Banjarmasin’s Trisakti port.

Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas, deployed rescue vessels and a helicopter to the area, while nearby tugboats and other vessels have also assisted in locating and rescuing survivors. The operation is being conducted under challenging sea and weather conditions.

The rescued passengers are being transported aboard different vessels, with some expected to be taken to ports in East Java. Meanwhile, relatives of those aboard the ship have gathered at a command center at Banjarmasin’s Trisakti port as the search for survivors continues.

Source: Qatar News Agency