Overview
- Rescuers from the Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin launched an operation on Sunday after authorities received a report that the Virgo Transport 8 had stopped communicating.
- The ship was en route from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when initial tracking put its last known position about 148 kilometers from a pier in Banjarmasin in the Java Sea.
- Officials say roughly 240 people were aboard the passenger vessel and there were no immediate reports of casualties as the search began.
- The Banjarmasin rescue office described the problem as a communications failure and provided only limited details while teams deploy to locate the ship and re-establish contact with those on board.
- Authorities are continuing the search and are expected to issue updates as they find the vessel or survivors; the situation poses urgent safety and humanitarian concerns for passengers and families awaiting news.