Rescuers in Indonesia said at least six people were killed and 130 others were missing on Sunday (September 13, 2026) after a ferry sailing between the islands of Java and Borneo was hit by bad weather and capsized.
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ferry → say → weather
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, had lost contact with its shipping company early in the day after departing from Surabaya in East Java.
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Transport → carry → Java
Basarnas, Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, said in its latest update that six people were killed and 130 were missing.
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130 → say → update
It said 107 people had been rescued.
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people → say → ?
There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board, the agency added.
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agency → be → board
Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the ship had capsized.
“From the information we received, based on helicopter surveillance... the ship capsized but has not sunk.
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ship → say → surveillance
As of 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) it had not sunk yet, but it was capsized,” he said at a news conference in Banjarmasin.
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he → sink → Banjarmasin
Local search and rescue chief I Putu Sudayana earlier told AFP that the ship’s captain had reported to its owners before losing contact that the vessel was “tilting”.
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vessel → tell → contact
Rescuers battled waves of up to 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) to reach the ferry, Mr. Sudayana told reporters.
“It is extremely risky for vessels.
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It → battle → vessels
Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres long, is at great risk,” he said.
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he → say → risk
A Basarnas helicopter has joined the operation, he added.
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he → join → operation
The vessel’s last position had been detected in the Java Sea, around 150 km from its destination.
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position → detect → destination
Heri Purwanto, head of the Banjarmasin Sea Port Authority, said the ship, which was also carrying vehicles, lost contact at 2:00 am on Sunday (September 13, 2026).
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which → say → Sunday
“We responded quickly to the incident report...
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We → respond → report
Our main focus and top priority at this time is the safety of everyone on board the ship, and we are deploying a coordinated rescue operation,” Heri Purwanto said.
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Purwanto → deploy → operation
Rescue authorities have established a command centre at the Banjarmasin port, with paramedics and ambulances on standby, an AFP reporter saw.
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reporter → establish → standby
Dozens of relatives and friends of the passengers checked a whiteboard where the names of people rescued were being updated.
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names → check → people
Jenah, 26, told AFP she came to the command post for information about her older brother.
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she → tell → brother
“I am saddened and very shocked.
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I → sadden → ?
Until now, I haven’t received any more information,” said Jenah, who like many Indonesians has only one name.
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who → receive → name
“He was travelling alone.
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He → travel → ?
I hope he survives.
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he → hope → ?
I couldn’t contact him since last night.”
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I → contact → night
Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.
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that → rely → transport
On Monday (September 7, 2026), a speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists working for local and international news agencies, went missing near a volcano, Mount Anak Krakatau, in Banten province.
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speedboat → carry → province
The journalists were sent to cover the volcano’s eruption that paralysed Jakarta’s main airport and several others.
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that → send → airport
Last month, a fire on board a ferry killed one person and left five others missing while 211 were rescued in the Lombok Strait off Indonesia’s Bali island.
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211 → kill → island
The ferry had been heading from Bali to Lombok when it ran into trouble in the early hours of August 12.
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it → head → August
In July, a ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.
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ferry → transport → Sulawesi
The Aporia
