Indonesia searches for 129 people missing after ferry capsizes

People check the passenger manifest of Virgo Transport 8 passenger ferry which overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea, at the rescuers' command center in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. Iman Satria/AP hide caption

BANJARMASIN, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities intensified on Monday a search for dozens of people missing after a ferry overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea previous day.

At least six passengers were killed and 129 people are still missing.

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying more than 240 people when its captain issued a distress call, saying the ship was listing in rough seas with waves of up to three meters (10 feet), while traveling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province, on Borneo Island.

Contact was lost with the ferry at about 2 a.m. Sunday, and about two hours later authorities received infomration that the vessel had overturned in the Java Sea's Masalembo waters, about 148 kilometers (92 miles) from Banjarmasin.

Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency on Sunday showed an overturned ferry floating in choppy waters during a helicopter search operation.

On Monday, 17 ships and aircraft were deployed for the search carrying about 622 personnel deployed from the military, police and other agencies, said Mohammad Syafii, the National Search and Rescue Agency chief.

He said authorities were also deploying specialized underwater teams and navy-operated underwater drones to strengthen search efforts and speed up the evacuation of victims.