- Published
Six people have died and 107 have been rescued from a capsized Indonesian passenger ferry in the Java Sea, authorities have said.
asserted
authorities → publish → Sea
Another 130 people are still missing after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport8 ship, as it encountered bad weather.
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it → miss → weather
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin and was last reported to be about 150km (93 miles) south of Banjarmasin around 02:00 on Sunday (18:00 GMT on Saturday).
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ferry → travel → Sunday
Ships and a helicopter have been deployed to the scene, with 280 personnel taking part in a search and rescue operation.
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personnel → deploy → operation
All vessels in the area of the Java Sea have been alerted to report any signs of passengers.
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vessels → alert → passengers
The ship left Surabaya at 10:33 on Saturday and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin on Sunday at 14:00, according to data from two maritime monitoring sites.
uncertain
ship → leave → sites
Authorities received the initial distress report at 04:10.
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Authorities → receive → 04:10
A joint task force involving Indonesia's search and rescue agency, navy, maritime police and other parties has been set up for the rescue effort.
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force → involve → effort
Rusmilawati, a resident of Banjarmasin, went to the port to seek information about eight relatives who were passengers on the ship.
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who → go → ship
They were travelling back to Banjarmasin after visiting the tombs of several Islamic scholars in Java.
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They → travel → Java
"They flew there initially, but for the return journey they wanted to try travelling by ship," she told BBC Indonesia.
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she → fly → Indonesia
As of Sunday afternoon local time, Rusmilawati said she had not received any information from officials about whether her relatives had been rescued.
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relatives → say → officials
The family last heard from one of the relatives through a WhatsApp status update.
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family → hear → update
In the post, the relative wrote: "The waves are really frightening tonight.
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waves → write → post
Or is this just what it's normally like travelling by ship, rocking and crashing against the waves?
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it → travel → waves
"
"Hopefully they're safe," Rusmilawati said.
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Rusmilawati → say → ?
Meanwhile, Misnah broke down in tears after learning that her husband, Ahmad Supandi, had survived.
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husband → break → tears
Ahmad, a freight driver, had been aboard Virgo Transport 8 and was later rescued by the vessel MV Haida.
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Ahmad → rescue → vessel
At Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, relatives of crew members have also been seeking information about their loved ones.
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relatives → seek → ones
One relative, Fredy, said his youngest sibling, Stevie Manuhua, worked aboard the vessel as a keyboard player, entertaining passengers.
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sibling → say → passengers
"We spoke two days ago when the ship was docked in Surabaya.
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ship → speak → Surabaya
After that, there was no news until now," Fredy said.
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Fredy → be → that
He said he had still not received any information about his sibling's whereabouts.
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he → say → whereabouts
The Indonesian archipelago has more than 17,000 islands and ferries are a common form of transport.
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ferries → have → transport
Government data show that 111 ship accidents were recorded between 2020 and 2026.
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accidents → show → 2020
In July, KM Nurul Salsa sank in waters west of Polassi Island in Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi.
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Salsa → sink → Regency
A total of 58 people survived, while three were found dead.
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three → survive → people
The whereabouts of another 14 people remain unknown.
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whereabouts → remain → people
Last month, a separate ferry caught fire off Madura island, killing five.
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ferry → catch → five
The Aporia
