128 missing after ferry sinks in Indonesia's Java Sea

Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency said Tuesday that 128 people remain missing after the ferry Virgo Transport 8 sank in the Java Sea off South Kalimantan province, while rescue teams have pulled 109 survivors from the water and confirmed six deaths. The vessel went down in the early hours of Sunday in waters off Tanjung Selatan near Masalembu Island with 243 passengers and crew aboard, according to the state-run Antara news agency.

Rescue efforts

Basarnas reported that 115 people had been found by Tuesday, though the death toll stood at six with 128 still unaccounted for. South Kalimantan Governor Muhidin told Antara that authorities are arranging for survivors to return home once they are medically cleared.

Survivor care

"After we asked them, most of the survivors said they wanted to return home quickly," Muhidin said, adding that officials are helping those who lost identity documents obtain police certificates needed for airline tickets. Fifteen survivors remain hospitalized in Banjarmasin — six at Ulin Regional General Hospital, seven at Bhayangkara Hospital and two at Sultan Suriansyah Hospital, according to provincial authorities.

Another 59 passengers in good health have been temporarily housed in government-provided accommodation. Search operations are continuing for the 128 people still missing, with Basarnas and other Indonesian agencies involved in efforts to locate them.