Passenger ship sinks off the coast of Indonesia

On September 13, 2026, the passenger ship Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 people including 30 crew members, went missing and subsequently sank in the Java Sea while traveling from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The vessel lost communication in the early hours of Sunday during adverse weather conditions after the captain reported the ship was tilting at approximately 02:00 local time.

Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities attempt to locate survivors. Initial reports provided conflicting figures regarding casualties: early updates from local officials cited one death and 140 missing, while later assessments from search and rescue services indicated that the death toll has risen to six, with 130 people remaining missing and 113 survivors rescued. Emergency response units, including tugboats, have been deployed to the site where the ship last sent a signal.

Investigations into the cause of the disaster continue as rescue teams maintain a presence in the affected maritime area. The authorities are prioritizing search efforts to find the remaining passengers in the wake of the severe weather incident.