Rough seas hinder third-day search for 129 missing after Indonesian ferry capsizes

Rough seas and poor visibility are hampering the search for 129 people still missing after a passenger ferry capsized in the Java Sea on Sunday, Indonesian authorities said Monday. At least six people are confirmed dead and 108 have been rescued, but rescue teams have struggled to reach the area around the overturned Virgo Transport 8 as the operation enters its third day.

The ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island when its captain issued a distress call early Sunday, reporting that the ship was listing in rough seas with waves up to 3 metres high. Contact was lost at about 2 a.m. local time, and two hours later authorities received information that the vessel had overturned in the Masalembo waters, about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin.

The ship's manifest listed 243 people aboard, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members, though Indonesian officials note that passenger counts often differ from the manifest. The 119-metre ferry, built in Japan in 1987, was also carrying 89 vehicles. Survivors described a sudden list that triggered panic, with passengers scrambling to the higher side as the ship tilted further.

“The women staying in the economy-class cabins likely didn't survive because the ferry listed so quickly. There were no alarms or announcements warning passengers about what was happening, many people in the cabins may not have had enough time to get out.”

: Ahmad Saudi, survivor

On Monday, 17 ships and aircraft were deployed for the search, carrying about 655 personnel from the military, police and other agencies, according to Mohammad Syafii, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency. Authorities are also deploying specialised underwater teams and navy-operated underwater thermal drones to strengthen the effort.

“We remain hopeful of finding more survivors.”

: Mohammad Syafii, National Search and Rescue Agency chief

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said aerial searches showed the ferry floating upside down and had not sunk, with rescuers concentrating efforts around the overturned vessel. He told reporters that officials could not yet determine whether the missing were still inside the ship or had drifted away from the site.

The cause of the capsizing remains under investigation, with officials considering natural, technical and human factors. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries for transport, and accidents are common, partly due to weak enforcement of safety standards.

The incident follows a separate ferry fire off Madura Island last month that killed five people, and comes four days after a fire on a passenger ferry in the Philippines killed at least 76 people.