Indonesian passenger ship capsizes in Java Sea with 243 people on board

China News Service, Jakarta, September 13 (Reporter Li Zhiquan) An Indonesian passenger ship with 243 people on board disappeared in the Java Sea on the 13th. The Indonesian transportation department said it had confirmed that the ship had capsized. At present, the accident has killed 6 people and more than 100 people are still missing.

Indonesian Transport Minister Dudi Purwagandi said at a press conference that day that according to observations by the helicopter crew, the ship capsized. Previously, Indonesia's national search and rescue agency had said the ship had sunk.

Dudy said the cause of the accident still needs further investigation. The joint search and rescue team is still continuing to search near the last known location of the passenger ship.

According to reports, the passenger ship involved was a passenger and cargo ro-ro ship that was sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The last location where the ship lost contact was about 80 nautical miles away from the Banjarmasin search and rescue terminal.

Information disclosed by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency and the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office showed that the passenger ship lost contact at around 2 a.m. on the 13th. The ship had previously reported encountering severe weather. The search and rescue department received the report at 4:10 that day, and then launched a search and rescue operation, coordinating the participation of maritime affairs, marine police and other departments.

The search and rescue department stated that the wave height in the sea area where the incident occurred was between 2 meters and 2.5 meters, and the harsh sea conditions increased the difficulty and risk of search and rescue. The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency Command Center has issued broadcasts to all radio channels in relevant sea areas to provide reference for search and rescue operations.

Indonesia is a "country of a thousand islands", and ferries are an important means of transportation to connect various islands and transport people and materials. Among them, passenger and cargo ro-ro ships can carry passengers, vehicles and cargo at the same time, playing an important role in Indonesia's inter-island transportation.