Overview
- The passenger ferry left Surabaya on Saturday and lost contact early Sunday after the captain reported severe listing, with officials later receiving information that the vessel overturned and sank.
- Authorities have mounted a large search-and-rescue operation using navy ships, rescue vessels, a helicopter and nearby boats to scour the ship’s last known position about 148–150 kilometres from Banjarmasin.
- Officials have updated totals during the day to about 107 people rescued and six bodies recovered, leaving roughly 130 people unaccounted for against a manifest that listed 243 aboard.
- Rescuers say rough seas with waves around 2.5–3 metres have made operations dangerous and limited recovery work, and teams warn passenger counts on Indonesian ferries often differ from official manifests.
- The Directorate General of Sea Transportation and Basarnas will investigate causes after immediate rescue work, and the accident renews scrutiny of ferry safety and enforcement in Indonesia’s busy inter-island routes.