Let’s also now get you some updates on the ferry accident that has happened in Indonesia where a major search and rescue operation is currently underway in Indonesia with 140 people said to be missing after a passenger ship lost contact in the Java Sea.
The authorities say that about 103 people have been rescued but one person apparently died later. The Virgo Transport 8 ferry carrying 243 passengers and crew members had lost contact with its shipping company early on Sunday and the ship was traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and the vessel’s last position had been detected in the Java Sea and around 150 kilometers, 93 miles from its destination.
Now the authorities have not yet confirmed as to what apparently happened on to the ship or why the contact was lost. But the local search and rescue chief has said that the ship’s captain had reported that the vessel was in fact tilting before losing contact. He said that the survivors were evacuated by different vessels adding that the rescuers had battled waves of up to 2.5 meters to reach the ferry.
We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people.
The rescuers have now deployed ships, a search team and also a helicopter to the vessel’s last known location and the rescue authorities have put up a command center at the Banjarmasin port with paramedics and ambulances on standby.
I am sad, shocked. As of right now, I have received no update. I hope they are safe.
The Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands relies very heavily on ferries to connect its many islands. Sea travel is often cheaper and more accessible than air travel but safety standards are not always rigorously enforced, contributing to a relatively higher number of maritime accidents.
