World briefing

Six dead, 107 rescued after Indonesian ferry capsizes

The vessel carried 213 passengers and 30 crew members, with 130 people still missing.

An orange-uniformed rescue officer writes on a whiteboard as people look on.
A rescue officer writes on a whiteboard beside colleagues and onlookers.

Six people have died and 107 have been rescued after an Indonesian passenger ferry capsized in the Java Sea, authorities said. Those figures account for people confirmed dead or rescued.

The search and rescue agency said contact was lost with Virgo Transport 8 while it encountered bad weather. The ship was carrying 243 people, and a search and rescue operation was launched.

The ferry was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. Its last reported position was about 150 kilometers south of Banjarmasin at around 2 a.m. Sunday, or 18:00 GMT Saturday.

Ships and a helicopter were deployed, with 280 personnel participating in the rescue operation. Vessels across the area were alerted to report any signs of passengers.

At an afternoon news conference at the port, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee would investigate the incident.