Rough seas hinder search for 129 missing in Indonesia after ship capsizes
Officials say more than 1,100 rescuers battle stormy seas in search for missing people.
Rough weather has continued to hinder searches by hundreds of rescuers for 129 people missing, two days after an Indonesian passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea, authorities said on Tuesday.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said crews had rescued 108 people and that at least six others had died after the ferry capsized on Sunday.
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The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people from Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java to Banjarmasin, a port city on Borneo, when it lost contact with its operator during poor weather conditions, according to Basarnas.
Some 1,100 coastguard and navy personnel, 10 aircraft and 17 ships were deployed during the third day of searches, I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency, told the Reuters news agency.
Choppy waters, high waves and strong winds impeded the search on Monday, Mohammad Syafii, head of the national rescue agency, said. Waves were measured at about 1.75 to 2.5 metres (5.7 to 8.2 feet).
“We would also deploy personnel with underwater rescue skills, but the current conditions do not allow us to,” he said.
Underwater operations would involve specialist divers capable of working at depths of more than 100 metres (328 feet), Syafii added.
Syafii said diving efforts could face further challenges because the capsized ferry was unstable due to trapped air and empty compartments, potentially causing the ship to shift unexpectedly.
The ship is at a depth of about 30 metres (98 feet), and authorities are considering pulling it back up to the surface.
The capsized boat is about 150km (80 nautical miles) from the command centre at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, Arianto Ardi, another official at the rescue agency, told Reuters.
“The conditions there are quite windy, making it difficult for the vessel to dock,” he said.
In a video released by the rescue agency, a large red-and-black ship lies capsized and partially submerged in choppy blue water, with its red-painted underside visible above the surface.
Two small boats, each carrying people, were seen floating near the capsized ship amid rough water.
On Sunday, Edy Prakoso, another official at the national rescue agency, said the ship leaned heavily to one side after strong waves hit its starboard side.
A passing helicopter reported the vessel had capsized, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said on Sunday, with the cause still being investigated.
He said the boat had the capacity to carry 500 passengers, so it was not overloaded.
Indonesia relies on ferries across its 17,000 islands, where sea travel is cheaper and more accessible than flying, and numerous accidents have occurred.
In separate incidents last month, five people died when a ferry caught fire off Madura Island, and one person died in a fire on a ferry travelling from the tourist island of Bali.
