At Least 6 Dead, 130 Missing After Ferry Capsizes

At least six people are dead and roughly 130 others are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people capsized in severe weather in the Java Sea on Sunday.

The vessel, identified as the Virgo Transport 8, was traveling between the Indonesian islands of Java and Borneo when it lost contact, according to officials.

Authorities said 243 people were believed to be on board.

As of 6 p.m. local time in Jakarta, at least 108 people had been safely evacuated, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, known as BASARNAS.

Search teams were still trying to determine what happened to the remaining passengers.

“We cannot yet determine whether the victims are still inside the vessel or whether they may be some distance away from the location of the vessel,” Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi told reporters.

Purwagandhi was speaking during a press conference in Banjarmasin, in South Kalimantan province, where officials were monitoring the massive rescue operation.

The ferry had been sailing from Surabaya toward Banjarmasin when disaster struck.

Officials with Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation said investigators were still trying to determine exactly what caused the vessel to capsize.

Authorities said they were examining whether the disaster was caused by severe weather, a technical problem or human error.

Multiple ships and a helicopter were deployed as crews searched the surrounding waters for survivors.

Video released by BASARNAS showed people believed to be survivors floating in bright orange life rafts before being pulled from the sea.

Another video showed rescued passengers aboard another vessel receiving first aid after being brought to safety.

At a rescue command center in Banjarmasin, worried relatives were seen checking passenger lists as they waited for information about missing family members.

The tragedy comes only about a month after another deadly ferry disaster in Indonesia.

Five people were killed in a separate ferry fire off Madura Island last month.

The search for the missing passengers from the Virgo Transport 8 remained underway Sunday as officials continued investigating the cause of the sinking.