Indonesia launches search after losing contact with passenger ship carrying at least 240 people

Indonesian rescuers have launched a search operation after a passenger ship carrying at least 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan on Borneo island, officials say.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province, says it received a report the Virgo Transport 8 experienced a communication failure while en route to the city from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city in East Java province.

Initial information indicates the vessel’s last known position was in the Java Sea, about 148 kilometers (92 miles) from a pier in Banjarmasin. The ship’s manifest says it’s carrying 241 passengers.

There are no immediate reports of casualties.

Arianto Ardi, operations chief at Banjarmasin’s rescue agency, confirms the loss of contact with the vessel and says rescue personnel have been dispatched to the area.

“We have established an operations post at Trisakti,” Arianto says.

Authorities says the ship’s operator reported the incident after receiving information that the vessel encountered bad weather.