Indonesian authorities initiated a search operation Sunday for a passenger ship carrying 240 people that lost contact in the Java Sea. The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, was traveling from Surabaya in East Java province to Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province on Borneo island.
The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin reported a communication failure with the ship. The last known position of the Virgo Transport 8 was approximately 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin. No casualties have been reported.
Arianto Ardi, operations chief at the Banjarmasin rescue agency, confirmed the loss of contact and stated that rescue personnel had been dispatched to the vessel's last known location. An operations post has been established at Trisakti.
The ship's operator alerted authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather.