Search for missing Indonesian ship with 240 people underway

Indonesian search and rescue teams launched an operation on Sunday after a passenger ship carrying at least 240 people lost contact in the Java Sea while traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan. The Virgo Transport 8 was en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it experienced a communication failure, according to the Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin. The ship's last known position was in the Java Sea, approximately 148 kilometers from a pier in Banjarmasin, officials said. The vessel's operator reported the incident after receiving information that the ship had encountered bad weather. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Arianto Ardi, operations chief at the Banjarmasin rescue agency, confirmed the loss of contact and said rescue personnel had been dispatched to the area. "We have established an operations post at Trisakti," Arianto said. The agency said it received the report on Sunday and immediately launched a search, deploying a team toward the ship's last known position. The number of people on board was reported differently across official sources.