Indonesia intensifies search for 129 people missing after ship capsizes

Officials say more than 600 rescuers battle stormy seas in search for missing people.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-09-14 05:51查看原文 ↗

Officials say more than 600 rescuers battle stormy seas in search for missing people.

A relative of a passenger on board the Virgo Transport 8 ship that sank while sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, speaks on a phone while looking for news about the search and rescue operation at Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java province, Indonesia, September 13, 2026 [Suryanto/Reuters]

Hundreds of rescuers including the coastguard have joined the search for 129 people missing after an Indonesian passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea, authorities said Monday.

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said crews had rescued 108 people and that at least six others had died after the ferry capsized on Sunday.

list 1 of 3 Seven more people rescued after boat sinks in Indonesia, 18 still missing

list 2 of 3 Five passengers found drifting days after boat sinks in Indonesia

list 3 of 3 At least five dead, 41 missing after ferry catches fire off Indonesia

The Virgo Transport 8 ship was carrying 243 people from Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java to Banjarmasin, a port city on Borneo, when it lost contact with its operator during poor weather conditions, according to Basarnas.

“We have continued the search for the missing since early in the morning [Monday]. We are deploying 622 personnel and around 12 ships,” I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency, told the news service Reuters.

Choppy waters with high waves and strong winds were impeding the search on Monday, Mohammad Syafii, head of the national rescue agency, said.

“We would also deploy personnel with underwater rescue skills but the current conditions do not allow us to,” he said.

The capsized boat is about 80 nautical miles (equivalent to about 150km) from the command centre at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, Arianto Ardi, another official at the rescue agency, told Reuters.

“The conditions there are quite windy, ⁠making it difficult for the vessel to dock,” he said.

In a video released by the rescue agency, a large red-and-black ship lies capsized and partially submerged in choppy blue water, with its red-painted underside visible above the surface.

Two small boats, each carrying people, were seen floating near the capsized ship amid rough water.

On Sunday, Edy Prakoso, another official at the national rescue agency, said the ship leaned heavily to one side after strong waves hit its starboard side.

A passing helicopter reported the vessel had capsized, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said on Sunday, with the cause still being investigated.

He said the boat had the capacity to carry 500 passengers, so it was not overloaded.

Indonesia relies on ferries across its 17,000 islands, where sea travel is cheaper and more accessible than flying, and there have been numerous accidents.

In separate incidents last month, five people died when a ferry caught fire off Madura Island, and one person died in a fire on a ferry travelling from the tourist island of Bali.

官方称，600多名救援人员在波涛汹涌的大海中搜寻失踪人员。

2026年9月13日，在印度尼西亚东爪哇省泗水市丹戎佩拉克港，一艘名为“Virgo Transport 8”的货轮在从东爪哇泗水驶往南加里曼丹省班贾尔马辛途中沉没，船上一名乘客的亲属正在打电话查询搜救行动的最新消息。[Suryanto/路透社]

当局周一表示，一艘印尼客轮在爪哇海倾覆后，数百名救援人员（包括海岸警卫队）已加入搜寻129名失踪人员的行列。

国家搜救机构（Basarnas）表示，救援人员已救起 108 人，另有至少 6 人在周日渡轮倾覆后丧生。

列表 1/3：印尼沉船事故中又有 7 人获救，18 人仍然失踪

印尼沉船事故数日后，五名乘客被发现漂流在海上（共三条报道之二）

印尼附近海域渡轮起火，至少5人死亡，41人失踪（共3条记录，此为第3条）

据印尼国家安全局（Basarnas）称，Virgo Transport 8 号船载着 243 人从印度尼西亚爪哇岛泗水前往婆罗洲港口城市班贾尔马辛，途中因天气恶劣与运营商失去联系。

“我们从周一清晨开始就一直在搜寻失踪人员。我们部署了622名人员和大约12艘船只，”班贾尔马辛救援机构负责人伊·普图·苏达亚纳告诉路透社。

国家救援机构负责人穆罕默德·沙菲表示，周一，波涛汹涌、狂风大作的海面阻碍了搜救工作。

“我们也会部署具备水下救援技能的人员，但目前的条件不允许我们这样做，”他说。

救援机构的另一位官员阿里安托·阿尔迪告诉路透社，倾覆的船只距离班贾尔马辛的特里萨克蒂港指挥中心约 80 海里（相当于约 150 公里）。