One dead, 140 missing after Indonesian passenger ship disappears in Java Sea

JAKARTA — One person was found dead and 102 others were rescued after an Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people went missing in the Java Sea on Sunday, leaving 140 people unaccounted for, state-run news agency Antara reported.I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said three nearby commercial vessels responded to the emergency and located and rescued passengers from the ship.“The total number of passengers successfully evacuated as of 12 p.m. Central Indonesian Time stands at 103,” Sudayana told a news conference. The figure included the person found dead.The Virgo Transport 8 was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when communication with the vessel was lost at around 2 a.m. Sunday.Sudayana said the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office received an emergency report about two hours later, prompting a joint search and rescue team to deploy to the area.The vessel had encountered bad weather in the Java Sea, about 80 nautical miles from the Basirih Search and Rescue Dock in Banjarmasin, according to Sudayana.Thirty crew members were among the 243 people aboard the vessel.Search and rescue operations were continuing for the 140 people still missing.