Indonesian rescuers are searching for the Virgo Transport 8 vessel with 243 people on board that lost contact in the Java Sea during a storm. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
This was reported by the country's national search and rescue agency (Basarnas), according to RIA Novosti.
The vessel was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.
According to the rescuers, contact with the vessel was lost on the night of Sunday after it encountered adverse weather conditions.
"The vessel's last position was approximately 80 nautical miles from the SAR Basirih pier in Banjarmasin," the search and rescue coordinator told journalists.
The rescue vessel Kn SAR Laksmana 241 has been dispatched to the search.
The estimated time to transit to the last known location of the Virgo Transport 8 is about five hours.
The operation also involves the Navy, water police, port and navigation services.
Rescuers have prepared equipment for conducting water operations, diving kits, communications equipment and a Starlink satellite terminal.
Basarnas noted that the search is being conducted in an intensified mode due to the large number of passengers and crew members on board.
Rescuers urged relatives of the people on board to remain calm and rely on official information.
It was not specified whether there were foreigners on board.