From CBS News · · 1m 20s
241 aboard, then silence in the Java Sea
A ferry bound for Borneo hit bad weather, stopped answering, and Indonesia scrambled every boat it had.
In brief
A ferry bound for Borneo hit bad weather, stopped answering, and Indonesia scrambled every boat it had. The Virgo Transport 8 vanished about 92 miles short of Banjarmasin with 241 people listed on its manifest, and the search began hours after contact was already lost. Originally reported by CBS News.
A ship stops answering
Indonesian rescuers launched a search Sunday after contact was lost with a passenger ship carrying more than 240 people across the Java Sea.
Two hours of nothing
The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office only got the report two hours after contact with the Virgo Transport 8 broke off around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Bad weather, then quiet
The operator told authorities only after hearing the vessel had run into rough conditions on its run from Surabaya to Borneo.
“The ship's operator reported the incident to authorities after receiving information that the vessel had encountered bad weather”
92 miles from port
The last known position put the ship in open water, roughly 92 miles from a pier in Banjarmasin. The manifest listed 241 passengers.
Boats in the water
A rescue team deployed to Banjarmasin's Basirih pier and a rescue ship headed for the vessel's estimated last position.
Everything they have
Search chief I Putu Sudayana said all available personnel and assets were mobilized because of the sheer number aboard, with weather watched closely. No casualties reported yet.
The takeaway
The Virgo Transport 8 vanished about 92 miles short of Banjarmasin with 241 people listed on its manifest, and the search began hours after contact was already lost.
