Indonesia ferry disaster leaves 129 missing as families wait for news
Families gathered at a port in Banjarmasin on Monday, September 14, as rescuers searched for 129 people still missing after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsized in the Java Sea.
Relatives checked passenger lists and waited for updates at Trisakti Port, with some facing difficulties because missing passengers had travelled under other people’s names. Jennah said her 30-year-old brother, Imam Buqori, had used a friend’s ticket and was therefore not registered under his own name on the passenger list.
The ferry was carrying 243 people, including 213 passengers and 30 crew, when it overturned in the Masalembo waters while travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin. Authorities deployed 17 ships and aircraft and around 622 personnel on Monday, alongside underwater teams and navy-operated drones, as the search continued for survivors.
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