A massive search and rescue operation is underway in Indonesia after a passenger ferry capsized in the Java Sea, leaving at least six people dead and 129 others missing.
Hundreds of rescuers, including coast guard and navy personnel, have been deployed to the area as authorities race against time to locate those still unaccounted for.
The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, went missing early Sunday while travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Authorities say the vessel encountered severe weather before the accident.
Rescue teams have so far recovered 108 survivors, while the search continues for those still missing.
The operation involves vessels and personnel from Indonesia’s coast guard, navy and other emergency agencies, with difficult sea conditions complicating efforts to reach and evacuate survivors.
Officials have yet to establish the exact circumstances that caused the ferry to capsize, as the search and rescue operation continues.
