1 dead, 140 missing after Indonesian ferry with 243 aboard sinks in bad weather

A maritime disaster struck an Indonesian passenger ferry carrying more than 240 people, leaving one person dead and 140 missing. Another 102 passengers evacuated aboard three vessels.

The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency in South Kalimantan province received a distress call from a crew member of the Virgo Transport 8 at around 4:10 a.m. Sunday (local time), reporting an incident in the Java Sea near Banjarmasin, according to Reuters, the Associated Press and CNN Indonesia.

The ferry was carrying 243 passengers at the time of the accident. Details of the initial distress call have not been disclosed. One person was killed, 102 others evacuated on three separate vessels, and the remaining 140 are still missing.

A Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency official said those who evacuated would be transferred to a port in East Java province.

The ferry departed Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city in East Java, at around 10:13 a.m. Saturday and was heading to Banjarmasin when it reported bad weather before losing contact at around 2 a.m. Sunday. The last known position of the vessel was approximately 148 kilometers from Bashiri Pier in Banjarmasin.

"After receiving the report that contact had been lost, we immediately dispatched a rescue team to the last known location," a Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency official said. "We are focused on finding the missing."