Raft capsizes in the Java Sea leaving at least six dead and 130 missing

At least six people died and another 130 were still missing this Sunday (13) after a ferry capsized in the Java Sea during a trip amid bad weather, according to Indonesia's national search and rescue agency (Basarnas). Another 107 people were rescued.

The ferry Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, lost contact with the shipping company this Sunday morning, after leaving Surabaya, in the east of the archipelago. The vessel was crossing between the islands of Java and Borneo and heading to Banjarmasin, in south Kalimantan.

The last known position of the vessel was recorded approximately 15 kilometers from the port of Banjarmasin. Search and rescue operations began on Sunday morning, with the participation of teams from the Navy, Police and the company responsible for the ferry.

Relatives of the passengers gathered in Banjarmasin, where the ferry was heading. A helicopter flying over the region informed authorities that the vessel had capsized, according to Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.

In a previous update, the search and rescue agency said the ferry had sunk.

The rescued passengers were taken to other vessels. Some of them would later be sent to a port in East Java, according to the head of the Basarnas office in Banjarmasin.

Indonesia, an archipelago made up of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries to transport passengers. Sea routes are, in general, more accessible and available than air travel, which makes vessels an essential part of the connection between different islands.