A passenger ferry traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin in Indonesia capsized on Sunday morning after losing contact with authorities during a stormy night, resulting in six deaths and the rescue of 107 passengers. Another 130 people remain missing as search operations involving ships and helicopters continue. The Virgo Transport8 ferry had 243 individuals on board when it departed Surabaya at 10:33 am Saturday with a scheduled arrival time of 2 pm Sunday, but encountered harsh weather conditions off the coast of Banjarmasin around 2 am Sunday.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 13, 2026, a ferry named Virgo Transport 8 carrying 243 people from Surabaya to Banjarmasin capsized in the Java Sea due to rough weather with waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) high. As of Sunday afternoon, at least six passengers were confirmed dead and 130 people remained missing after rescuers recovered 107 survivors. The ship's captain had reported distress before losing contact around 2 a.m., indicating the vessel was listing heavily. Rescuers deployed eight vessels, including naval ships, and helicopters to search for the missing individuals in waters off Borneo Island, facing extreme conditions that posed significant risks to their safety. Officials are investigating whether natural factors, technical issues, or human error caused the incident.
Written for “Indonesian Ferry Disaster” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Six people have died and 107 have been rescued from a capsized Indonesian passenger ferry in the Java Sea, authorities have said.
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authorities → publish → Sea
Another 130 people are still missing after contact was lost with the Virgo Transport8 ship, as it encountered bad weather.
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it → miss → weather
The ferry was travelling from Surabaya to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin and was last reported to be about 150km (93 miles) south of Banjarmasin around 02:00 on Sunday (18:00 GMT on Saturday).
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ferry → travel → Sunday
Ships and a helicopter have been deployed to the scene, with 280 personnel taking part in a search and rescue operation.
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personnel → deploy → operation
All vessels in the area of the Java Sea have been alerted to report any signs of passengers.
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vessels → alert → passengers
The ship left Surabaya at 10:33 on Saturday and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin on Sunday at 14:00, according to data from two maritime monitoring sites.
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ship → leave → sites
Authorities received the initial distress report at 04:10.
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Authorities → receive → 04:10
A joint task force involving Indonesia's search and rescue agency, navy, maritime police and other parties has been set up for the rescue effort.
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force → involve → effort
Rusmilawati, a resident of Banjarmasin, went to the port to seek information about eight relatives who were passengers on the ship.
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who → go → ship
They were travelling back to Banjarmasin after visiting the tombs of several Islamic scholars in Java.
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They → travel → Java
"They flew there initially, but for the return journey they wanted to try travelling by ship," she told BBC Indonesia.
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she → fly → Indonesia
As of Sunday afternoon local time, Rusmilawati said she had not received any information from officials about whether her relatives had been rescued.
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relatives → say → officials
The family last heard from one of the relatives through a WhatsApp status update.
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family → hear → update
In the post, the relative wrote: "The waves are really frightening tonight.
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waves → write → post
Or is this just what it's normally like travelling by ship, rocking and crashing against the waves?
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it → travel → waves
"
"Hopefully they're safe," Rusmilawati said.
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Rusmilawati → say → ?
Meanwhile, Misnah broke down in tears after learning that her husband, Ahmad Supandi, had survived.
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husband → break → tears
Ahmad, a freight driver, had been aboard Virgo Transport 8 and was later rescued by the vessel MV Haida.
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Ahmad → rescue → vessel
At Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, relatives of crew members have also been seeking information about their loved ones.
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relatives → seek → ones
One relative, Fredy, said his youngest sibling, Stevie Manuhua, worked aboard the vessel as a keyboard player, entertaining passengers.
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sibling → say → passengers
"We spoke two days ago when the ship was docked in Surabaya.
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ship → speak → Surabaya
After that, there was no news until now," Fredy said.
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Fredy → be → that
He said he had still not received any information about his sibling's whereabouts.
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he → say → whereabouts
The Indonesian archipelago has more than 17,000 islands and ferries are a common form of transport.
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ferries → have → transport
Government data show that 111 ship accidents were recorded between 2020 and 2026.
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accidents → show → 2020
In July, KM Nurul Salsa sank in waters west of Polassi Island in Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi.
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Salsa → sink → Regency
A total of 58 people survived, while three were found dead.
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three → survive → people
The whereabouts of another 14 people remain unknown.
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whereabouts → remain → people
Last month, a separate ferry caught fire off Madura island, killing five.
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ferry → catch → five
