Agencies, Jakarta – More than 600 rescuers were searching for 129 people still missing after a passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea on the weekend, an official said on Monday, with the death toll steady at six.
The Virgo Transport 8 ship carrying 243 people went missing in bad weather early on Sunday, the rescue agency said. Authorities have rescued 108 people from the ship, which was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
"We have continued the search for the missing since early in the morning. We are deploying 622 personnel and around 12 ships," I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin rescue agency, told Reuters.
He said there was no increase in the death toll of six as of Monday morning.
In a video shared by the rescue agency, a large red-and-black ship lies capsized and partially submerged in choppy blue water, with its red-painted underside visible above the surface.
Two small boats, each carrying people, were seen floating near the capsized ship amid rough water.
On Sunday, Edy Prakoso, another official at the national rescue agency, said the ship leaned heavily to one side after strong waves hit its starboard side.
A passing helicopter reported the vessel had capsized, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said on Sunday, with the cause still being investigated.
Five aircrafts and 17 vessels, including navy warships, were deployed to assist with the search, which will be focused in areas around the capsized ferry, he added.
"We will maximise the search operation in six sectors that we have divided by prioritising the search for floating victims," National Search and Rescue Agency Mohammad Syafii said.
"Hopefully, we can find the victims in safe condition."
He added that divers and underwater drones will be deployed to search for the victims in and around the wreck, which rescuers have located.