Banjarmasin. More than 115 people have been evacuated from the Virgo Transport 8 after the ferry lost contact in the Java Sea early Sunday, authorities said, with passing vessels joining Indonesian search and rescue teams in recovering survivors and at least one body.

Authorities have yet to provide a clear account of what happened to the ferry or confirm whether the vessel itself has been located.

According to the available manifest, the Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people, comprising 57 crew members, 59 adult passengers, one child, and 126 drivers and their assistants accompanying vehicles aboard the ferry.

A total of 89 vehicles were listed on board.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has been conducting the operation with assistance from commercial and other vessels in the area.

Among the vessels involved, the MV Haida rescued 49 people, while the Mauhaw IX recovered 15 survivors and one body. The tugboat TCP rescued another 38 people.

Those three vessels account for 102 confirmed survivors and one fatality. Authorities reported that the overall number of people evacuated had exceeded 115, indicating that additional people had been recovered by other vessels involved in the operation.

It was not immediately clear how many of the 243 people aboard remained unaccounted for.

Ferry Lost Contact after Encountering Bad Weather
The Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have lost contact at around 2 a.m. Central Indonesia Time after encountering bad weather during its voyage from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, according to I Putu Sudayana, search and rescue mission coordinator in Banjarmasin.

“The vessel's last known position was approximately 80 nautical miles from the Basirih SAR dock in Banjarmasin,” Putu said.

The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office received a report at 4:10 a.m. local time from Virgo General Manager Yoel Rihi that contact with the vessel had been lost.

The ferry had departed Surabaya on Saturday afternoon.

Following the report, Basarnas dispatched personnel aboard the search and rescue vessel KN SAR Laksmana 241 toward the ferry's last known position.

Putu said authorities were deploying available personnel and search assets because of the large number of people aboard, with their safety the top priority.

The operation involves the Indonesian Navy, police, the Banjarmasin Navigation District, port operator Pelindo and Virgo's Banjarmasin shipping agent.

Search and rescue efforts were continuing as authorities worked to establish the whereabouts of those still unaccounted for and clarify what happened to the ferry.

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