Indonesia: Ferry overturns in Java Sea, leaving six dead and 129 missing

Indonesia: A ferry that was carrying more than 240 people overturned in bad weather in Indonesia’s Java Sea on Sunday, September 13, 2026.

According to the reports, 129 passenger and crew members currently remain missing as the search operations are continuing around the vessel’s last known position.

Virgo Transport 8 was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo Island. The contact with the vessel was lost around 2 a.m on Sunday.

The manifest recorded 243 people on board, including 213 passengers and 30 crew members. There were around 89 vehicles on the ferry as well.

The authorities have deployed search teams with eight vessels, two helicopters and four navy ships. As of now around 107 people have been rescued and six bodies were discovered, rescuers reported.

Head of Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office Putu Sudayana noted that the captain had reported rough seas with waves of up to 3 metres before sending a distress call and stated that the ship was listing. The officials later received the information that the ferry had overturned.

Further reports noted that the ferry was located about 148 kilometres from Banjarmasin in the Java Sea. Sudayana noted that the nearby tugboats and several other vessels that were passing were also helping in the search and rescue operations.

Dudy Purwagandhi, Transportation Minister mentioned that the aerial searches showed the 119-metre ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk as the rescuers were seen carrying out their operations around it.

Similar incidents are common around Indonesia as it relies widely on ferries for travel.

Further search operations to locate the survivors are continuing as more than 100 people have been brought to safety, six bodies recovered and 129 people still remain missing.