Indonesian Passenger Ferry Carrying 243 Loses Contact at Sea Amid Bad Weather

[Financial News] Authorities launched a search after a passenger ferry carrying more than 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea amid deteriorating weather conditions.
According to The Associated Press (AP) and CNN Indonesia on the 13th local time, the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office in South Kalimantan Province received an accident report at around 4:10 a.m. that day from representatives of Vigour Transport 8 in the Java Sea near Banjarmasin. There were 243 passengers aboard the ferry at the time of the incident, but the specific details of the report have not yet been disclosed.
According to reports, the ferry departed Surabaya in East Java Province, Indonesia’s second-largest city, at around 10:13 a.m. the previous day and was heading to Banjarmasin. Contact was lost at around 2 a.m. that day after the crew communicated that weather conditions were poor. The ferry’s last known location was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometers from Basiri Pier in Banjarmasin.
An official from the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office said, "After receiving the report, we immediately dispatched a rescue team to the last known location."
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter