Ship Carrying 243 People Missing in Indonesia

An Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people was reported missing on Sunday morning after losing contact in the Java Sea during severe weather, the Indonesian search and rescue agency said in a statement.

The vessel, the Virgo Transport 8, had set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, East Java, bound for Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, but lost contact before reaching its destination.

“At the time of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted and its whereabouts are unknown”, the agency said. Rescue teams have launched a search and dispatched a unit to the vessel's last known location.

(Reuters, su)